Hello once again, i present Chapter 4, it slows down again towards the end but it may answer some of the stuff that gets confusing, I am working on chapter 5 and i guarantee you will like it, Enjoy!
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Standoff...both Haruko and the monstrosity not far from her remained motionless. Nathaniel took cover behind the vespa and peaked over the seat at the pair of fighters. His fists were clenched tight, anxious as to what the outcome would be. He prayed Haruko could somehow pull it off and beat this machine. Yet thinking back to how easily it had ripped that tractor trailer into metal ribbons made his hope waver. He told himself to keep confident, have faith. After all she had already amazed him by her feats ofsuperhuman abilities.
Haruko moved first. She bolted towards the machine hefting the bass upwards, ready to club it. The chain guns on its chest opened fire forcing her to slow and shield herself against the barrage. Still she kept coming, closing the distance rapidly. Before even the machine seemed to realize it Haruko was upon it, launching herself into the air swinging the bass down with a furious yell. She connected with one of the machines missile pods on its shoulders. The impact of the bass against its armor sounded like it had been run through an amplifier and brutally smashed. Instead of the instrument receiving damage though, it was the missile pod. The openings where the rockets launched collapsed in on each other, clamping them shut and flattening the weapon to the machines shoulder. A fountain of sparks showered Haruko and grinding metal could be heard as it tried to move its arm up to grab her. It came up short due to the damage to had taken. Haruko used her feet to pry the bass from the twisted wreck of its shoulder and simultaneously propel herself away from the machine.
She landed expertly on the pavement surveying the damage with a smile. This only served to enrage the machine and it lashed out towards her. Its sword like legs attempted to impale her while its serrated claws swept back and forth in a scythe like pattern. Haruko ducked under the claws and rolled to avoid its legs, dodging till she ended up behind her opponent. She took this opportunity to swing the guitar at one of the joints it used to move its legs. The amplified smashing sound once again rang loudly yet still it was the machine to take the damage. The bass smashed clean through the joint, severing it from the rest of the leg. Now down to three legs, it began to tilt down at the point were the leg was missing. The tank treads kept it from completely falling on its side but it still limped. It rotated its body to face Haruko struggling to turn the rest of its frame towards her.
The chain guns started to spin signaling its impending attack. Haruko swiftly placed her foot under the severed end of its leg and kicked it upwards. Due to its size she had to drop her bass and use both hands to grab it midair. She then threw the sharpened end towards its guns like a javelin. It pierced the machine directly between the two weapons prying them apart just as they started firing. The gun fire stopped and was followed by a small explosion from the impaled area on its chest. The ammunition it used detonated all at once, ripping a giant hole in its body and destroying the guns. Nathaniel could tell that had obviously damaged something vital as the machine twitched and jerked violently. After a moment it regained some control and raised its claws to the piece of its leg imbedded in its chest. With a painful screeching noise it wrenched its own appendage free causing more sparks and metal to fall.
The machine tossed it aside and attempted to swipe at Haruko with its claws. She easily dodged it and stepped out of its reach making it have to use its remaining legs to limp towards her. Nathaniel could hear metal grinding against metal and the machine shuddered as it tried to move forward but to no avail. No longer able to move it used its only remaining weapon, the missile pod on its other arm. A volley of twenty missiles launched at Haruko. Being at so close a proximity to the robot, she had little options. She lunged forward straight into the rockets shielding herself with the bass. Some of the rockets were diverted but they all hit in the same general area, behind Haruko. A dome of pure flame engulfed the area around Haruko and her opponent. A shockwave ripped through the pavement and collided with the vespa. Nathaniel was thrown away from the vehicle, skidding on his side, causing his arm to drag against the ground. The vespa followed nearly landing on top of him.
As the explosion subsided, Nathaniel gripped his arm in pain. He was .....ing and it felt like all the skin on his arm had worn away. More concerned about Haruko than himself he bolted upright, trying to see through the dust that had been churned up. When it cleared he could see Haruko on the back of the machine. She appeared completely unharmed, even waving to him with a smile. The machine on the other hand was on its last legs. In front of it was a smoking crater. The armor hit by the fire had melted off exposing wires and circuitry. What armor remained was charred black. Despite the blows the machine tried to move. It was no use, the explosion having fused most of its points of mobility. Haruko beaming with glory jumped off the machine. She pranced around to the front of it and said annoyed, "You are still moving? Persist aren't we. Well, I shall put you out of your misery." Bass in hand, she jumped at the machine yelling obnoxiously loud. She aimed at its neck, severing the head from the rest of its body just as she had done to its leg. It fell to the blackened road with a crunch. The single beaming red eye slowly dimmed until it winked out completely. The rest of the mangled robot went limp no longer able to function.
Haruko stood on the smoking carcass of the enemy doing a goofy jig and yelling, "Yeah! Take that you medical mechanica piece of junk!" After she finished gloating she walked back to an astonished Nathaniel. She looked at his .....y arm with concern, "Let me look at it, I'm a nurse!" From a compartment on her vespa she pulled a fancy nurses hat and placed it on her head. She looked strange wearing the hat and her goggles. Smiling she added, "Just joking, you should have it looked at by someone a little more professional than me."
By this time, Nathaniel had so many questions racing through his head, he was speechless. He didn't know what to ask first. Sensing his impending interrogation Haruko said, "Let's go somewhere, we need to talk...and before we are seen around that robot." Nathaniel wondered to himself if anyone had actually witnessed it or not. He didn't see a single person around, maybe they had all been blown up? It was a depressing thought but it seemed like a reasonable explanation. Haruko placed her nurse's hat back into the vespa compartment and waited till Nathaniel was on before she sped away.
They drove at a relaxed pace, having already taxed the engine with Haruko's driving. Driving only a few blocks away from where the battle had taken place Haruko pulled off to a parking spot and said, "How about some caffeine?" She had stopped in front of a coffee shop.
Nathaniel grumbled, "Why not?" He got off, careful not to irritate his wounded arm.
Haruko picked a seat at a table placed outside the store and asked, "Do you need some coffee?" It sounded cheeky and sarcastic.
Nathaniel wasn't in the mood for her antics yet didn't have the energy to battle with her so he answered, "Yes...anything, doesn't matter." Entering the near empty shop he did his best to hide his injured arm as he made his way to the bathroom. It was futile as he noticed the shocked stares of the customers. He got to the bathroom and did his best to scrub the dirt and ..... off. The warm water and soap hurt like hell but he knew it would probably stop him from getting an infection. Even cleaned up the burning rash remained and didn't lessen his pain. He brushed the dust from his shirt and pants and fixed his hair before heading back out to Haruko. Despite looking significantly better he still got startled stares by the customers.
Just as he stepped out the door a convoy of fire trucks, ambulances, and squad cars drove by. It was painful to listen to all of their sirens blaring at once. Haruko was seated with two cups of coffee in her hands. Sitting besides her, she passed him his cup with a smile. The noise by the vehicle had lowered enough so Nathaniel didn't have to raise his voice when he spoke, "I assume they are going to see what all that commotion was. I wonder what they will think of a giant robot just sitting there."
Nathaniel just wanted answers at this point and so he stated, "Haruko, tell me what is going on."
Haruko drank more coffee and placed the cup in front of her taking a moment to collect her thoughts. "Alright, well, first off, I'm not from this planet."
Nathaniel was stunned and yet wasn't. No human could do the things she had done. Opening his mouth to speak he was silenced by Haruko, "Just let me talk..." She continued on, "I come from another planet. I got here by means of that vespa. Im sure you could tell it wasn't a normal vehicle, its armored and has hyper flight which basically just lets me go places real fast. I was on a mission here to follow an alien culture known as Medical Mechanica. They are the ones that built that factory at the edge of town, it's called an Iron Fist."
She paused a moment to let what she had told him to sink in. Continuing she said, "The same types of factories were built on other planets with one purpose, to flatten out all life, the wrinkles of the planet." Nathaniel came to a realization that it was made to look like an iron on purpose. To flatten out all life though? He was skeptical to say the least but let her continue. "They tried this a couple years ago on this same planet in a place called Mabase in Japan. They must really have it in for this world. Anyways the way they move things quickly is through gates called N-O channels. One has opened in your head, that is why the machine came out. It was built by medical mechanica and sent through the N-O channel in your head."
About then Nathaniel found it necessary to interrupt, "But how can something that big fit through something like my..."
Again he was cut off by Haruko, "Size doesn't matter. They could send buildings through your head if they wished. It has something to do with...I don't know, something mathematical, don't ask me to explain it." She hefted her bass onto the table almost taking out her cup of coffee. "This bass and that guitar strapped to the vespa are not normal instruments. They too were built by Medical Mechanica as weapons. This model has tough armor, as you can see there isn't a scratch on it. One of my older ones looked like a Rickenbaker bass and had a machine gun."
Inspecting the surface of the Elitist EB Nathaniel found Haruko's statement true. Besides a thin layer of dirt, it was unblemished. His jaw dropped involuntarily, having trouble stomaching all she was saying. "Wait...this N-O channel in my head. It's closed now, right?"
Hesitant she took a sip of her coffee diverting her eyes from Nathaniel. He stressed again, "Right?"
She sighed and said reluctantly, "Well not really...you know how I hit you in the head with the bass? It's kind of what opened the channel in the first place. So, no I don't believe its closed."
Fearful and confused Nathaniel blurted, "What?? Did you know this would happen? Why would you do it? Tell me!"
Defensively she answered, "Because Medical Mechanica has something I am supposed to get. There is this being...he is called Atomsk. He is very, very powerful. They captured him once, they did it again. I am supposed to retrieve Atomsk whenever he comes through the N-O channel."
"You mean through my head?" He snapped sarcastically, "And when exactly is he going to go through my head?"
Haruko again was reluctant to add, "I don't know...exactly."
Nathaniel stood from his chair finding it impossible to sit anymore. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be. Things don't come out of people's heads. The undeniable truth was it had, and it had happened to him of all people. It was even less comforting to know it could happen again at any time without warning. Haruko watched him pace frantically by his chair, mumbling something she couldn't hear. He stopped for a moment and asked bluntly, "Why? Why me Haruko?"
"Truthfully...I thought you looked different, you looked special. I knew an N-O channel could form through you, I guess it's like another sense, I just knew." She went to take another drink of her coffee only to find it empty.
Nathaniel began to wonder if she cared at all how he felt, or she cared at all. "So what are you going to do once you have this Atomsk? You are going to leave? That's it?"
The answer she gave cut like a knife, "What other reason would I have to stay?"
It had been too good to be true. She really didn't care about him, he had thought as much. She just wanted whoever this guy was and then would take off he doubted without so much as a goodbye. A nauseated feeling developed in his stomach, it was too much. "Just...take me home Haruko."
Suddenly she seemed to notice that his feelings were hurt and attempted to explain or comfort him in some way, "It's not like that it's..."
"Just take me home!! You almost got me killed, you opened this channel in my head, I'm probably going to have things coming out again, and an alien race wants to flatten our planet...I just want to go home right now and sleep and not think about any of this." His outburst startled even Haruko and she silently obliged. They threw away their cups and got on the vespa. In little time Haruko pulled alongside the sidewalk near his house. Sullen and tired, Nathaniel got off and started to walk away.
Haruko yelled after him, "Don't be angry with me, please!"
He turned to stare blankly at her. "You don't care, your using me, I don't matter one bit!" Slowly he walked back towards her, "But you know...I thought you did for a moment. Back when you were fighting that machine. I thought you didn't want me hurt cause you really cared. You just want your Atomsk. I cared about you...I even..." the words had trouble leaving his mouth, "liked you Haruko." The only thought that ran through his head was that it was all in vain.
As he turned away from her he uttered with sadness hinting at his voice, "Goodbye, Haruko." Before he could move though, Haruko reached out and grabbed him by the head. Bodily she pulled his face to hers and their lips met. Nathaniel closed his eyes in bliss. He loved the feel of her velvet soft lips on his.
Gently Haruko let go of him and he back away. His eyes were fixated upon her and wanted to say something but didn't have the chance. Haruko winked at him and pulled her goggles over her head. "Goodnight Nathaniel!" Even after she sped away Nathaniel had trouble returning to his home. It had felt good, he wanted to know why she had done that and yet didn't care. Confident he would end up seeing her again, she did after all need this Atomsk when he came out of his head, he walked into his home.
It felt just as good to be home as it was to receive that kiss. Immediately he took off his shoes and tossed them aside. His mother was in the living room watching the news, ironically about the trail of destruction that machine had left. Greeting him she said, "Hello there, you were certainly gone long, it's almost seven. What were you up to?"
He knew it was late since the sun had already faded to an orange ball that started to fall from the sky. "Sorry about that, I was out with Haruko, we had some coffee." Of course he wouldn't tell her what really happened. He then mentally kicked himself remembering his arm!
As if on cue, his mother grew wide eyed as she noticed the rash that covered most of his arm. "Dear god! How did that happen?"
He nervously shifted his eyes. What kind of excuse could he think up to explain that. Not coming up with anything better he said, "I...kind of fell off of Haruko's vespa...when we took off too fast at a stop sign."
He told her not to worry about it and said he was going to bed. Weary from the days events he headed to his room and collapsed on his bed. Not bothering to change his clothes or cover up he just grabbed a pillow and dozed off within minutes.
Meanwhile Haruko was busy looking for a place to stay. Since the encounter outside his house she couldn't find it in her to ask to stay the night. She started to wonder herself what had come over her. His words struck a cord, he was upset and she knew it. It had beenall her fault. Knowing she lied about getting Atomsk for someone else didn't help either. She felt she had to do something but kissing him? She had trouble admitting she liked it since in fact she was using him. Atomsk was her priority, not the human.
Her thoughts wandered back to Mabase. Why was it she fell for the humans though? Naota had done this to her too. It truly was her soft spot, her weakness. Seeing Nathaniel again would be awkward but she would keep her cool as usual. There was no way she could miss Atomsk this time. His power was as good as hers.
The sky had gone to vibrant orange to an ever darkening blue. She didn't want to sleep out on the streets. Snarling she pulled off the road and searched her pockets. Scrounging up the last of the money had managed to get from beating the crap out of a couple vending machines she had enough for one night at a cheap hotel. "Heh, vending machines," she chuckled out loud. Funny how she felt guilty about Nathaniel and not defacing and stealing. She crammed the money back in her pocket and set out in search of the cheapest hotel in Lucida. "How dignified..." she mused.