Cristalina: Adrian is a little like Terrence but I had to have another annoying character somewhere. Everybody thinks they aren't good at writing action, but it just seems to flow. I sometimes think people won't like it but you guys seem to.
Spider-bear: I'm glad you still like it, you don't have to say anything helpful/intelligent just let me know you are still interested like that.
3 chapters to go. I've already got some ideas for extra chapters (like extra missions).
Jonathan was sleeping peacefully until his communication device was going off. What could they possibly want, thought Jonathan as he rolled over trying to pick it up.
"Jonathan here" Jonathan said sleepily, looking over at the clock 6.30 am, ah well only cheated out of half an hour of sleep he thought to himself.
"Get down here right away Jon, I'll explain later" Carrington said
Jonathan got out of bed and did the usual morning routine and drove to the Institute. On arriving he headed straight to Carrington's office.
"Hello Jonathan, sit down" Carrington said
"What's happening?" Jonathan asked taking a seat as Carrington instructed.
"We traced that ship down, it docked on a mysterious island. As Sean was here we sent him in immediately to investigate, suddenly though we were cut off by what we suspect is ECM jamming. Anyway that was 6 hours ago, the last we heard from him he had went though a strange underwater section yet all his stuff was still working and the water seemed to be breathable. It is a very strange place; it not only seems to rain heavily constantly Sean also reported that it was unusually cold. Obviously we are greatly concerned and do not if he still alive but of course we are expecting the worst. He also reported that the Skedar have marked him for death." Carrington explained
Jonathan thought for a moment "What do you mean by the Skedar have him marked for death" Jonathan asked, understanding what Carrington had said but wanted to know the specifics of the system.
"Ah, the Skedar have a list of living beings they wish to kill, if they are killed the Skedar King supposedly pays the Skedar who killed them great honours and dramatic improvement in rank but nobody on this list has died yet. There are 4 on this list, 3 Maians and 1 human who is obviously Sean. To get on this list you need to be a great threat to the Skedar, in Sean's case he killed the Skedar prince which means he knows how to kill the King and also because he killed the prince the King wants revenge" Carrington said
"And the other 3?" Jonathan asked
"Elvis is one for being the top Maian protector, Bea Tles is another for basically doing the same thing I am and the head Maian tactician for his work in the tactics used to beat the Skedar" Carrington explained
"Right, you can explain to me later how you know who's the Skedar hit list" Jonathan said
"It's quite simple. The Maians have their spies, so naturally that's how Sean and I found out" Carrington said
"What about the coldness what do you think about that?" Jonathan asked
"Looking at its location there is something very wrong with that. My guess is they have some kind of weather control however they made that, you never know with the Skedar" Carrington said
"When on the island what then?" Jonathan asked
"Find out whether Sean is alive or not, what's going on down there and destroy the island. Since it's not marked on a map, it seems to have been built somehow" Carrington said
Within a few minutes Jonathan was ready, getting onto the jumpship and it reached the island about an hour later. Still raining heavily, Jonathan was a little more prepared then Sean was wearing warmer clothing. Although it didn't seem very cold at all yet.
"This time we won't talk unless we really need to because of interception issues. Good luck Jonathan, Carrington out" Carrington said
Jumping out of the jumpship he used his parachute and landed perfectly on the island. He saw a cave in front of him and entered but it took a dense forest, the rain still fell through the trees. Like Sean he felt the sudden cold although the light of day could be only just seen in this forest making it a bit difficult for Jonathan to work his way though. Finally he came to this cave.
"Whew, how did he do that in the dark?" Jonathan asked himself running his hands through his hair.
"Perhaps because he didn't" Another voice replied
"Huh?!" Jonathan drew his Magnum and searched for the source of the voice
"Jon, relax its Sean" Sean said
"Where are you?" Jonathan said not putting his Magnum away
"Here" Sean stepped out
"Hey I'm glad to see you alive again" Jonathan said
"I'm glad to see me alive again too" Sean replied giving a slight smile
"What happened?" Jonathan asked
"I can't tell you…" Sean said
"What do you mean by that…" but suddenly Jonathan realised Sean was backing away.
"Nothing… got anybody else coming here?" Sean asked
"No, why?" Jonathan replied
"Excellent…" Sean said
"What?" Jonathan said surprised
"Heh, it will just be easier…" Sean said, he was very out of character and by now it was more than obvious. "Easier to kill you!" Sean said drawing his Falcon 2
Jonathan had no time to reply as Sean fired his weapon and Jonathan drew his and hid behind a rock as Sean fired multiple times. He heard him reload and then Jonathan jumped out and shot him in the leg to stun him with his Magnum. He fell over but when he did he started changing.
"What the?" Jonathan said
"Stupid fool…" the mysterious form said before completely changing into a Skedar.
"What are you!?" Jonathan asked but the form didn't reply as it just fell dead.
Jonathan knew Carrington would want to know of this development,
"Dark to Carrington" Jonathan said
"Anything wrong?" Carrington asked
"I just ran into Sean, but he drew his weapon and tried to kill me, I shot him and he or it I guess, transformed into a Skedar" Jonathan said
"It's probably a clone Jonathan, did he fade completely?" Carrington asked
Jonathan looked where the dead Skedar was, there was nothing there.
"Yes, but how?" Jonathan asked
"Skedar clones according to the Maians fade soon after being shot. Also they are far less intelligent then the original and lack skills in combat, however the Skedar are supposedly working on ways of removing these flaws" Carrington explained
"How many clones could there be?" Jonathan asked
"That must be the only one; the Skedar would only be able to clone him once in this time period" Carrington said "There is one certain way of knowing if it is the real Sean. Ask him what's the second password to the high level profiles, only three people know that and they are you, Sean and myself" Carrington said
"Not even Grimshaw knows?" Jonathan asked
"It's the one of the few things on our computers he doesn't know. I have my ways of protecting the passwords, not even Grimshaw can crack them" Carrington laughed
"Anyway, I came through this forest I ran into the Sean clone in this cave. Like Sean found it, it is freezing here" Jonathan said
"A forest? Sean said that there was a pathway and he faced that strange Skedar who is always in human form and 2 normal Skedar. This place seems to change all the time, be on guard Jonathan" Carrington said
"Understood" Jonathan said putting his communication away.
Jonathan continued to walk and saw…
"Another forest, great" Jonathan said to himself
This time it wasn't as dense, as Jonathan worked his way through but suddenly he was ambushed by 2 Skedar. Stepping back out of surprise he walked backwards and tried to shot them. One them roared and fell over the other charged at him but Jonathan remembered he was a bit slower and although he wasn't being outrun by the Skedar he wasn't making much ground either. Turning around suddenly and firing it caught the chasing Skedar by surprise as it staggered backwards, Jonathan shot it again and it fell over. He reloaded and walked on.
"Just like the one before you, you are highly persistent" Mr. Blonde said standing with 3 Skedar
"What did you do with him?" Jonathan asked not really expecting an answer
As expected Mr. Blonde did not answer and walked off as the 3 Skedar advanced and fired their Maulers but because of the trees, Jonathan could use them as cover as he retreated and tried to pick off the chasing Skedar. However he shot one and then another that were charging at him but he lost the third one until he heard it creeping behind him. Turning around Jonathan shot him down.
"Got ya!" Jonathan said as the Skedar fell to the ground dead.
Jonathan gave a deep sigh. Although it was a very small thing he could see his own breath, as a child he got really amused by it. Putting his mind back to the mission he went on and came to yet another cave. At the end of there was something amazing. Walls made of ice everywhere, it seemed really solid ice. It was a fantastic sight; it must have taken ages to build. Huddling himself up a little he walked through, but when Jonathan was walking through it he came back to where he started. There were many turns; he figured it was a maze. Making it a lot easier for himself he shot the walls to make a marking so it would be easier to find his way around.
Finally finding the exit he moved onto yet another forest. As he walked through suddenly two Skedar ambushed him. He managed to get the first one before it got too close but the second one knocked Jon to the ground. He tried to push it away but it was no use. It moved into to bite him until it suddenly weakened and dropped dead immediately.
"Jonathan you alright!" A voice said. Jonathan stood up and saw Sean holding his Falcon 2 scope but he wasn't so sure if it was the real deal.
"What's the second password to the high level profiles" Jonathan asked immediately
"Well that's a nice way to say hello. I'm fine thanks" Sean replied sarcastically
"I'm serious, tell me the password, I want to see if it's actually you" Jonathan said drawing his magnum.
"Hey take it easy, its Grimshaw is a real loser. Without the spaces." Sean said
"Oh it really is you. We all thought you were…" Jonathan started and put away his magnum.
"Dead? Yeah I had a very close call. I was captured but I got out" Sean said
"How?" Jonathan asked
"I'll tell you later, now isn't the time or the place" Sean replied
"Yeah, I ran into a clone of you already. That's why I asked you a question only you would know" Jonathan said
"Right well that explains that then" Sean said
"Yeah, anyway what is going on?" Jonathan asked
"Well I assume they've just worked out I'm not there anymore and start coming after me. Basically the Skedar have this device that gives them control of the weather, but it isn't complete yet however it's enough to give this effect. Adrian said something about them doing tests to find the ship they lost. I've also figured this island has some kind of portal system; it changes the appearance of the island. This forest definitely wasn't here before, come on we've got to work out a way to destroy this place" Sean said
"I've got explosives" Jonathan said pulling out a few charges, they were only tiny but their effect was devastating.
"Well you really did come prepared didn't you, maybe I should have waited" Sean said with a small chuckle.
"Only because of what you had told Carrington. Anyway let's move" Jonathan said as the two continued through the forest. Soon they came to a portal.
"This thing will take us to the main area where the machine is held, always. The Skedar are probably searching for me everywhere so we may have to fight as soon as we go through here" Sean said
"Okay. There is no other way?" Jonathan asked
"No, pretty sure of that" Sean replied.
Both stepped through at the same time, as Sean had predicted three Skedar surrounded them, however Jonathan and Sean were both ready and charged and them and fired their weapons making them drop. They were in the main area where Sean and Adrian fought, on the floor they noticed that all of the Skedar were holding shields that were switched off.
"Pretty neat, we have to throw one away though so no one else picks it up" Sean said
"Yeah ah well" Jonathan said activating his shield and passed one to Sean and threw the other one into the water. Both activated the shields and immediately the red barrier flickered around the both of them.
Heading into the cave on the other side they saw the similar machine but there was nobody anywhere. The tall metal machine was up on a high level then the entrance of the cave. Climbing the stairs they approached the machine their weapons drawn out but it the area appeared deserted. There were two paths, one said control room the other was unmarked. The path leading to the control room seemed to be made of metal and headed upwards but the other path seemed to be made of rock like the rest of the cave and was heading downwards.
"It looks like they have got some way to go on this yet" Sean said noticing the large amounts of material on the ground below them
"Yup, look there is even a hole in the roof…" Jonathan noticed the rain fall continuing to fall from the hole.
"I don't think it is a good idea to blow this up, we don't know what's around" Sean said knocking at the machine
"I agree let's split. I'll check out this supposed control room. You go down into that cave looking thing, they wouldn't have that path for no reason at all" Jonathan reloaded his Magnum just to be sure.
"Alright, I can contact you if I find anything" Sean said running down the other path
"Okay good luck" Jonathan replied
Jonathan took off and ran through the entrance. He came to this room with a few computers, there was a dataDyne technician.
"Hands up! What's going on here" Jonathan demanded but the technician went for the alarm
"Oh no, not so fast" Jonathan fired missing on purpose and the technician stopped.
"Speak up! What's going on!?" Jonathan said but the technician remained silent.
"Ah perfect a map" Jonathan spotted a map on the wall and the technician tried to attack but Jonathan saw it from a mile away and hit him hard with the Magnum
Jonathan sighed "Why couldn't the non-combatants rule be kill anybody who tries to interfere with the success of the mission" Jonathan grumbled as he looked at the map.
The map showed only the control room side of the area. It was like a tower, with 5 floors, at the very top was a control system, the perfect place for an explosive Jonathan thought to himself smiling. Going through the next room there were 5 dataDyne guards.
"Get him!" One of them shouted and their CMP150's fired upon Jonathan however they didn't seem to know about the lock on feature as Jonathan picked two of them off before he hid behind the wall to reload. A bit more gunfire was heard before he heard the footsteps of one of them and Jonathan suddenly stepped out and blasted him backwards catching his weapon.
"You can't escape!' Another shouted, and Jonathan almost wanted to cough and say some smart remark since he knew it was all talk. Jonathan shot down the next one using the lock on, the final guard went for the alarm.
"Oh no, your buddy tried that already" Jonathan smiled as he took the guard down before he even took two steps.
Taking the ammo from the guards to give him more than enough for the CMP150 he went on to the stairs. A guard was walking on them and he was shot down. Jonathan went to the fifth floor but the door was locked, same for the fourth, and the third.
"Damn this better open" Jonathan said to himself running to the second floor and trying to open the door but it wouldn't budge. Just then on the guard he shot he noticed something, a key. Perfect he thought. Trying from the fifth floor down again nothing seemed to work except the second floor.
"Better then nothing I guess" Jonathan said as he continued to look for guards.
Meanwhile…
Sean was heading down the rocky cave, when he got to the end there was a path. It was a long path made by dark yellow bricks seemingly placed hand by hand and all around there was murky looking water around. In the centre the path was a donut like circle with murky water in the middle. This looked very much like the outside area where he had been kept prisoner but the water looked a lot cleaner outside. As he stepped closer he noticed something in the distance, steps leading to what looked to be a Shrine. Why would a Shrine be placed here? Sean thought to himself as he walked closer, but as he stepped closer something appeared in front of him above the murky water in the middle of the circle. It was Adrian; he was placed on the other side of the circle.
"You really do never cease to surprise me. How did you escape?" Adrian asked
"The motivation to fight got me out" Sean said and went to shoot Adrian but he dodged.
"Hasty aren't we, you should have killed me when you had the chance" Adrian replied
"You know I would have, that's why you used that device, I beat you before and I can beat you again" Sean reloaded his Falcon 2
"Of course, if we were to fight fair, but unlike most Skedar I do not fight fair" Adrian said
"Then I guess it's not long before they kill you. Even I know that the Skedar like to test the strength of anything in fair combat, even their deadliest enemies" Sean said
"You do know a lot then. I guess you heard Blondie, he went ballistic because I didn't obey the duelling 'honour code' who cares when you can win the match" Adrian said
"You are really pathetic, even for a Skedar" Sean pointed his Falcon towards Adrian.
"I shall show you how powerful I really am. You shall beg for mercy by the time I am through with you. Before we begin this battle, why do you show me no mercy even though I am your father, no emotion, no tears, no nothing. I'm almost disappointed" Adrian said
"In time it will come. Unfortunately for you it will be too late" Sean knew Adrian was trying to make Sean hesitate in battle but he wasn't going to fall for it, he had to do this with no second thoughts.
"We'll see" Adrian replied "let me show you the true power of the Skedar"
Adrian began to transform into a rather large Skedar, Sean stepped back slightly but stood his ground trying not to look intimidated. The Skedar roared loudly and the battle begun.
Spider-bear: I'm glad you still like it, you don't have to say anything helpful/intelligent just let me know you are still interested like that.
3 chapters to go. I've already got some ideas for extra chapters (like extra missions).
Jonathan was sleeping peacefully until his communication device was going off. What could they possibly want, thought Jonathan as he rolled over trying to pick it up.
"Jonathan here" Jonathan said sleepily, looking over at the clock 6.30 am, ah well only cheated out of half an hour of sleep he thought to himself.
"Get down here right away Jon, I'll explain later" Carrington said
Jonathan got out of bed and did the usual morning routine and drove to the Institute. On arriving he headed straight to Carrington's office.
"Hello Jonathan, sit down" Carrington said
"What's happening?" Jonathan asked taking a seat as Carrington instructed.
"We traced that ship down, it docked on a mysterious island. As Sean was here we sent him in immediately to investigate, suddenly though we were cut off by what we suspect is ECM jamming. Anyway that was 6 hours ago, the last we heard from him he had went though a strange underwater section yet all his stuff was still working and the water seemed to be breathable. It is a very strange place; it not only seems to rain heavily constantly Sean also reported that it was unusually cold. Obviously we are greatly concerned and do not if he still alive but of course we are expecting the worst. He also reported that the Skedar have marked him for death." Carrington explained
Jonathan thought for a moment "What do you mean by the Skedar have him marked for death" Jonathan asked, understanding what Carrington had said but wanted to know the specifics of the system.
"Ah, the Skedar have a list of living beings they wish to kill, if they are killed the Skedar King supposedly pays the Skedar who killed them great honours and dramatic improvement in rank but nobody on this list has died yet. There are 4 on this list, 3 Maians and 1 human who is obviously Sean. To get on this list you need to be a great threat to the Skedar, in Sean's case he killed the Skedar prince which means he knows how to kill the King and also because he killed the prince the King wants revenge" Carrington said
"And the other 3?" Jonathan asked
"Elvis is one for being the top Maian protector, Bea Tles is another for basically doing the same thing I am and the head Maian tactician for his work in the tactics used to beat the Skedar" Carrington explained
"Right, you can explain to me later how you know who's the Skedar hit list" Jonathan said
"It's quite simple. The Maians have their spies, so naturally that's how Sean and I found out" Carrington said
"What about the coldness what do you think about that?" Jonathan asked
"Looking at its location there is something very wrong with that. My guess is they have some kind of weather control however they made that, you never know with the Skedar" Carrington said
"When on the island what then?" Jonathan asked
"Find out whether Sean is alive or not, what's going on down there and destroy the island. Since it's not marked on a map, it seems to have been built somehow" Carrington said
Within a few minutes Jonathan was ready, getting onto the jumpship and it reached the island about an hour later. Still raining heavily, Jonathan was a little more prepared then Sean was wearing warmer clothing. Although it didn't seem very cold at all yet.
"This time we won't talk unless we really need to because of interception issues. Good luck Jonathan, Carrington out" Carrington said
Jumping out of the jumpship he used his parachute and landed perfectly on the island. He saw a cave in front of him and entered but it took a dense forest, the rain still fell through the trees. Like Sean he felt the sudden cold although the light of day could be only just seen in this forest making it a bit difficult for Jonathan to work his way though. Finally he came to this cave.
"Whew, how did he do that in the dark?" Jonathan asked himself running his hands through his hair.
"Perhaps because he didn't" Another voice replied
"Huh?!" Jonathan drew his Magnum and searched for the source of the voice
"Jon, relax its Sean" Sean said
"Where are you?" Jonathan said not putting his Magnum away
"Here" Sean stepped out
"Hey I'm glad to see you alive again" Jonathan said
"I'm glad to see me alive again too" Sean replied giving a slight smile
"What happened?" Jonathan asked
"I can't tell you…" Sean said
"What do you mean by that…" but suddenly Jonathan realised Sean was backing away.
"Nothing… got anybody else coming here?" Sean asked
"No, why?" Jonathan replied
"Excellent…" Sean said
"What?" Jonathan said surprised
"Heh, it will just be easier…" Sean said, he was very out of character and by now it was more than obvious. "Easier to kill you!" Sean said drawing his Falcon 2
Jonathan had no time to reply as Sean fired his weapon and Jonathan drew his and hid behind a rock as Sean fired multiple times. He heard him reload and then Jonathan jumped out and shot him in the leg to stun him with his Magnum. He fell over but when he did he started changing.
"What the?" Jonathan said
"Stupid fool…" the mysterious form said before completely changing into a Skedar.
"What are you!?" Jonathan asked but the form didn't reply as it just fell dead.
Jonathan knew Carrington would want to know of this development,
"Dark to Carrington" Jonathan said
"Anything wrong?" Carrington asked
"I just ran into Sean, but he drew his weapon and tried to kill me, I shot him and he or it I guess, transformed into a Skedar" Jonathan said
"It's probably a clone Jonathan, did he fade completely?" Carrington asked
Jonathan looked where the dead Skedar was, there was nothing there.
"Yes, but how?" Jonathan asked
"Skedar clones according to the Maians fade soon after being shot. Also they are far less intelligent then the original and lack skills in combat, however the Skedar are supposedly working on ways of removing these flaws" Carrington explained
"How many clones could there be?" Jonathan asked
"That must be the only one; the Skedar would only be able to clone him once in this time period" Carrington said "There is one certain way of knowing if it is the real Sean. Ask him what's the second password to the high level profiles, only three people know that and they are you, Sean and myself" Carrington said
"Not even Grimshaw knows?" Jonathan asked
"It's the one of the few things on our computers he doesn't know. I have my ways of protecting the passwords, not even Grimshaw can crack them" Carrington laughed
"Anyway, I came through this forest I ran into the Sean clone in this cave. Like Sean found it, it is freezing here" Jonathan said
"A forest? Sean said that there was a pathway and he faced that strange Skedar who is always in human form and 2 normal Skedar. This place seems to change all the time, be on guard Jonathan" Carrington said
"Understood" Jonathan said putting his communication away.
Jonathan continued to walk and saw…
"Another forest, great" Jonathan said to himself
This time it wasn't as dense, as Jonathan worked his way through but suddenly he was ambushed by 2 Skedar. Stepping back out of surprise he walked backwards and tried to shot them. One them roared and fell over the other charged at him but Jonathan remembered he was a bit slower and although he wasn't being outrun by the Skedar he wasn't making much ground either. Turning around suddenly and firing it caught the chasing Skedar by surprise as it staggered backwards, Jonathan shot it again and it fell over. He reloaded and walked on.
"Just like the one before you, you are highly persistent" Mr. Blonde said standing with 3 Skedar
"What did you do with him?" Jonathan asked not really expecting an answer
As expected Mr. Blonde did not answer and walked off as the 3 Skedar advanced and fired their Maulers but because of the trees, Jonathan could use them as cover as he retreated and tried to pick off the chasing Skedar. However he shot one and then another that were charging at him but he lost the third one until he heard it creeping behind him. Turning around Jonathan shot him down.
"Got ya!" Jonathan said as the Skedar fell to the ground dead.
Jonathan gave a deep sigh. Although it was a very small thing he could see his own breath, as a child he got really amused by it. Putting his mind back to the mission he went on and came to yet another cave. At the end of there was something amazing. Walls made of ice everywhere, it seemed really solid ice. It was a fantastic sight; it must have taken ages to build. Huddling himself up a little he walked through, but when Jonathan was walking through it he came back to where he started. There were many turns; he figured it was a maze. Making it a lot easier for himself he shot the walls to make a marking so it would be easier to find his way around.
Finally finding the exit he moved onto yet another forest. As he walked through suddenly two Skedar ambushed him. He managed to get the first one before it got too close but the second one knocked Jon to the ground. He tried to push it away but it was no use. It moved into to bite him until it suddenly weakened and dropped dead immediately.
"Jonathan you alright!" A voice said. Jonathan stood up and saw Sean holding his Falcon 2 scope but he wasn't so sure if it was the real deal.
"What's the second password to the high level profiles" Jonathan asked immediately
"Well that's a nice way to say hello. I'm fine thanks" Sean replied sarcastically
"I'm serious, tell me the password, I want to see if it's actually you" Jonathan said drawing his magnum.
"Hey take it easy, its Grimshaw is a real loser. Without the spaces." Sean said
"Oh it really is you. We all thought you were…" Jonathan started and put away his magnum.
"Dead? Yeah I had a very close call. I was captured but I got out" Sean said
"How?" Jonathan asked
"I'll tell you later, now isn't the time or the place" Sean replied
"Yeah, I ran into a clone of you already. That's why I asked you a question only you would know" Jonathan said
"Right well that explains that then" Sean said
"Yeah, anyway what is going on?" Jonathan asked
"Well I assume they've just worked out I'm not there anymore and start coming after me. Basically the Skedar have this device that gives them control of the weather, but it isn't complete yet however it's enough to give this effect. Adrian said something about them doing tests to find the ship they lost. I've also figured this island has some kind of portal system; it changes the appearance of the island. This forest definitely wasn't here before, come on we've got to work out a way to destroy this place" Sean said
"I've got explosives" Jonathan said pulling out a few charges, they were only tiny but their effect was devastating.
"Well you really did come prepared didn't you, maybe I should have waited" Sean said with a small chuckle.
"Only because of what you had told Carrington. Anyway let's move" Jonathan said as the two continued through the forest. Soon they came to a portal.
"This thing will take us to the main area where the machine is held, always. The Skedar are probably searching for me everywhere so we may have to fight as soon as we go through here" Sean said
"Okay. There is no other way?" Jonathan asked
"No, pretty sure of that" Sean replied.
Both stepped through at the same time, as Sean had predicted three Skedar surrounded them, however Jonathan and Sean were both ready and charged and them and fired their weapons making them drop. They were in the main area where Sean and Adrian fought, on the floor they noticed that all of the Skedar were holding shields that were switched off.
"Pretty neat, we have to throw one away though so no one else picks it up" Sean said
"Yeah ah well" Jonathan said activating his shield and passed one to Sean and threw the other one into the water. Both activated the shields and immediately the red barrier flickered around the both of them.
Heading into the cave on the other side they saw the similar machine but there was nobody anywhere. The tall metal machine was up on a high level then the entrance of the cave. Climbing the stairs they approached the machine their weapons drawn out but it the area appeared deserted. There were two paths, one said control room the other was unmarked. The path leading to the control room seemed to be made of metal and headed upwards but the other path seemed to be made of rock like the rest of the cave and was heading downwards.
"It looks like they have got some way to go on this yet" Sean said noticing the large amounts of material on the ground below them
"Yup, look there is even a hole in the roof…" Jonathan noticed the rain fall continuing to fall from the hole.
"I don't think it is a good idea to blow this up, we don't know what's around" Sean said knocking at the machine
"I agree let's split. I'll check out this supposed control room. You go down into that cave looking thing, they wouldn't have that path for no reason at all" Jonathan reloaded his Magnum just to be sure.
"Alright, I can contact you if I find anything" Sean said running down the other path
"Okay good luck" Jonathan replied
Jonathan took off and ran through the entrance. He came to this room with a few computers, there was a dataDyne technician.
"Hands up! What's going on here" Jonathan demanded but the technician went for the alarm
"Oh no, not so fast" Jonathan fired missing on purpose and the technician stopped.
"Speak up! What's going on!?" Jonathan said but the technician remained silent.
"Ah perfect a map" Jonathan spotted a map on the wall and the technician tried to attack but Jonathan saw it from a mile away and hit him hard with the Magnum
Jonathan sighed "Why couldn't the non-combatants rule be kill anybody who tries to interfere with the success of the mission" Jonathan grumbled as he looked at the map.
The map showed only the control room side of the area. It was like a tower, with 5 floors, at the very top was a control system, the perfect place for an explosive Jonathan thought to himself smiling. Going through the next room there were 5 dataDyne guards.
"Get him!" One of them shouted and their CMP150's fired upon Jonathan however they didn't seem to know about the lock on feature as Jonathan picked two of them off before he hid behind the wall to reload. A bit more gunfire was heard before he heard the footsteps of one of them and Jonathan suddenly stepped out and blasted him backwards catching his weapon.
"You can't escape!' Another shouted, and Jonathan almost wanted to cough and say some smart remark since he knew it was all talk. Jonathan shot down the next one using the lock on, the final guard went for the alarm.
"Oh no, your buddy tried that already" Jonathan smiled as he took the guard down before he even took two steps.
Taking the ammo from the guards to give him more than enough for the CMP150 he went on to the stairs. A guard was walking on them and he was shot down. Jonathan went to the fifth floor but the door was locked, same for the fourth, and the third.
"Damn this better open" Jonathan said to himself running to the second floor and trying to open the door but it wouldn't budge. Just then on the guard he shot he noticed something, a key. Perfect he thought. Trying from the fifth floor down again nothing seemed to work except the second floor.
"Better then nothing I guess" Jonathan said as he continued to look for guards.
Meanwhile…
Sean was heading down the rocky cave, when he got to the end there was a path. It was a long path made by dark yellow bricks seemingly placed hand by hand and all around there was murky looking water around. In the centre the path was a donut like circle with murky water in the middle. This looked very much like the outside area where he had been kept prisoner but the water looked a lot cleaner outside. As he stepped closer he noticed something in the distance, steps leading to what looked to be a Shrine. Why would a Shrine be placed here? Sean thought to himself as he walked closer, but as he stepped closer something appeared in front of him above the murky water in the middle of the circle. It was Adrian; he was placed on the other side of the circle.
"You really do never cease to surprise me. How did you escape?" Adrian asked
"The motivation to fight got me out" Sean said and went to shoot Adrian but he dodged.
"Hasty aren't we, you should have killed me when you had the chance" Adrian replied
"You know I would have, that's why you used that device, I beat you before and I can beat you again" Sean reloaded his Falcon 2
"Of course, if we were to fight fair, but unlike most Skedar I do not fight fair" Adrian said
"Then I guess it's not long before they kill you. Even I know that the Skedar like to test the strength of anything in fair combat, even their deadliest enemies" Sean said
"You do know a lot then. I guess you heard Blondie, he went ballistic because I didn't obey the duelling 'honour code' who cares when you can win the match" Adrian said
"You are really pathetic, even for a Skedar" Sean pointed his Falcon towards Adrian.
"I shall show you how powerful I really am. You shall beg for mercy by the time I am through with you. Before we begin this battle, why do you show me no mercy even though I am your father, no emotion, no tears, no nothing. I'm almost disappointed" Adrian said
"In time it will come. Unfortunately for you it will be too late" Sean knew Adrian was trying to make Sean hesitate in battle but he wasn't going to fall for it, he had to do this with no second thoughts.
"We'll see" Adrian replied "let me show you the true power of the Skedar"
Adrian began to transform into a rather large Skedar, Sean stepped back slightly but stood his ground trying not to look intimidated. The Skedar roared loudly and the battle begun.
