Beneath the Steel Sky

by Skye211

Taking severel key plot element from the game, such as the state of the city and a superenhanced killing machine, this story uses all new characters except for Barret, sorry and in the near future a plot that is decisivly different from the video game. Ea

Beneath a Steel Sky

Prologue:

The year was 2102 and life it seems has finally slipped away from the slums. Nothing grows anymore; the soil is a toxic mixture of chemicals and garbage. The air is thick with smoke and smog from the exhaust of the upper levels. It smells like an assortment of rancid trash, which is proven by the large burning pits of garbage. Is this hell? No… its home. Home to over 300,000 people still living below the plate. "How could this happen" many ask. Is it not apparent? Like the sky itself, it was men with hearts as cold as steel who did this. You have not heard of the famed city of Midgard? Sit close for the very souls of the oppressed will cry out in sorrow as I recall this tale, and I do not wish to make them suffer more then necessary, but the story must be told.

Chapter One: The Steel City

Shigra Shinto, the founder of Shinto, created the city of Midgard from the ground up. It had taken him decades to build. The entire structural system of the city was very uniquely created. Supported by a dozen colossal steel beams was an even larger circle, made of the same material, called the plate. The plate was 72 ft thick, and weighed an immeasurable amount. It had a diameter of 200 miles. Atop this was where the wealthier of Midgard lived.

Before construction, there was a large city where Shigra had wanted to build his great masterpiece. While he bought off the land, the people refused to move and revolted in numbers. A great war was fought, and many died. In the end a treaty was signed to stem the slaughter. Shigra was allowed to build, however he had to leave the town intact. Therefore, he built overtop the city. What the people below the town did not realize was that they would never again see the sky.

Years went by, and slowly the city below Midgard fell into poverty. The worst part was that people were never able to leave. Some didn't want to, this was their home and they would never depart. Even if they wanted to leave it would be far too dangerous. Midgard's under cover sciences dealt with biological weaponry and other creations. The waste generated by these products was simply shoved off the end of the plate. After a decade or so of this, the city below became entrapped by a barren wasteland of jagged metal and biological experiments gone wrong. All sorts of deformed beasts roamed in what residents had named Steel Swamp.

Trapped by poverty, depression, and steel, the city lost its name, and became known as the slums. It was divided into sectors, according to the wedges corresponding with areas on the plate above.

Shigra's company, Shinto, ruled Midgard. Though the people had an elected president, he was more of a figurehead than anything. Shinto, however, had many hidden secrets, one more obscure than all others. Through an ingenious invention by Shigra, one which he didn't reveal until he was on his deathbed, was a machine that could suck the life energy from something. This energy became known as essence. Raw essence could then be transmuted through fusion into a plasmatic substance called Mako.

Shinsi, Shigra's son took over the company after Shigra died. Instead of using his father's invention to help restore life to the sick and lamented, he used it to create weapons of unimaginable power. He created eight large reactors, one in each sector of the plate. These reactors sucked essence and turned it into Mako at an indescribable rate. The most creative part of Shinsi's plan, was his source of all this essence. In 2060, the first unit of essence was sucked from the earth herself. Since then, all eight reactors drained approximately 200,000 units a day. What did Shinsi care if the earth died, he had no need for natural life anyway.

With this seemingly infinite supply of essence, Shinsi began creating Mako. At first he imbued it in weapons and armor, and had tremendous success. However this was only a taste and Shinsi wanted more. He hand selected fifteen babies. Snatching them away from their mothers at birth, willing or not, he took them off to be raised in a lab. All of the participants underwent extremely rigorous training for the first 15 years of their life. Only seven lived to reach stage two.

Having previously studied the effects of Mako on humans, Shinto scientists calculated the perfect way to create a human super weapon. To this day no one knows how many test subjects died in the process. The remaining seven underwent exposure to the appropriate amount of Mako. Two died during the procedure.

For another ten years, the last five were trained to use their powers. Most of the scientists who conducted the training went mad for one reason or another, but no one suffered more then the test subjects. In the end only two lived, but Shinsi had achieved success.

Through Mako exposure, the bodies of the final two had undergone radical changes. They were multiple times stronger, quicker, and agile then any other human on record. This however was only the beginning. The Mako had become infused with their bodies, supplying unnatural power. This raw form of power was named Kai. By focusing ones Kai energy, it could emit a blast of sheer force. Scientists could not calculate the damage a Kai blast could do if the subject properly exerted every last bit. The remaining two could only generate enough to break through a two foot stone wall, but this was just the beginning.

The amazing thing about the Kai energy was it was directly related to one's endurance and constantly regenerated itself. If the Kai in the subject's body was exhausted, they would become tired and lethargic. However, after just one night sleep, the Kai was replenished.

Another powerful trait of these super humans was their ability to transcend the rift of dimensional space. By being able to move at astonishing speeds, they could tear what was called a dimensional rift. While this was extremely dangerous if done multiple times, it allowed them to enter a reality slowed down to about 1/20 normal speed. Of course in this sluggish state, anyone would need an extraordinary amount of strength and speed to move fast enough to overcome the inertia created to keep all objects in motion from moving faster than they should. This, however, was no problem for the test subjects.

The final power of these men was the extreme sensory perception they possessed. By tapping into their Kai powers, they could detect objects, sounds, smells, and people at a rate so fast and advanced, some of the scientists said it bordered on precognition.

The experiment was a complete success. Deep within the confines of the Shinto's main Headquarters, the second part of the plan was about to commence.

Chapter Two: The Dark Menace

It was a normal day in the life of Bradley Marshall. He slowly entered research facility #42. As he rode the glass elevator up to the 87th floor, Bradley took in what he thought to be the most beautiful sight of his life. As far as he could see, huge industrial facilities and scientific research centers were creating disease vaccines, more efficient rocket fuel, better fertilizers, and even a machine to read the subconscious mind. Of course, this was just a cover up for Shinto's true passion.

After arriving in his office, he took a long sip of his morning coffee and sighed. From the rumors he had heard, there were only two men left. He was almost glad he wasn't selected to work on them. He began to go over his usual paperwork when the alarm sounded. A voice came on overhead announcing a lab subject had escaped.

Grabbing the revolver from his desk, Bradley rushed out into the hallway. This was his chance to get that promotion he needed. He stepped out onto the cold, red tiles. It was strange, Bradley always thought the tiles were blue. Raising his head, Bradley saw a hallway littered with bodies. Dismembered hands and appendages lay everywhere, some floating in pools of blood. A head here, a torso there. Bradley gasped when a large figure cloaked in black rounded the corner.

"Ssstop! Or I'll sshoot!" Bradley yelled in a scared, timid voice. The dark figure grew nearer, like the reaper himself. Bradley slowly stepped backwards as his phantom drew closer. "I mean it…come no cccloser!" This time there was desperation in his voice, for the gun wasn't loaded. Bradley had hoped he could use it to bluff the man down, but how does one bluff something that already seems dead?

Stepping on something round, Bradley tripped backwards. He lay there, his eyes closed for a minute then he opened them. A human head, that of fellow scientist Zawalski, one of the biologists working with the Mako enhancements, lay next to his.

Stumbling back to his feet, Bradley turned and sprinted down a spiral staircase. Turning right he fled down another hallway. As he ran more visions of slaughter and chaos flew by him. In his panicked state of mind, it was all but a blur of red blood and white walls. He ran for what seemed like hours until he finally collapsed upon the cold, wet tiles. Looking up, he realized he'd run down all 87 floors, and was looking at the front entrance. A burst of hope erupted through him as he quickly found a second wind. That wind however was very short lived.

It happened fast, so fast Bradley saw the fatal wound before he felt it. From behind a pillar the figure appeared, and with a simple quick thrust, he ran Bradley through. The force of the blow impaled Bradley to a pillar. Slowly his eyes grew dark, and Bradley slipped away from mortality.

The dark menace sheathed its deadly blade. A shrill tone rang out as it slid into a hidden scabbard in his cloak. The figure left the building, and looked up at the sky above. The stars gleamed down upon him, like rays of light from above. The wind graced across his cold cheek, and a light rain pattered upon the skin of his exposed fingers. Yet he could feel none of this.

"I don't belong here" It said in a lifeless whisper. Slowly, it descended into the darkness, and was never seen above the plate again.

Chapter Three: An Unexpected Company

They say everybody dies. Everyone, without exception. No one is spared from the cold grasp of death. Everyone…except me that is. I hear it all the time, Skye, you're the man that won't die. I've been dead so many times I can't remember. I'm just a ghost, a ghost roaming a city of the dead. There's no life in the slums, only steel. Cold, hard, steel. Hell if I know why I joined them. They claimed to be the only light for this city, and at the time I wanted to believe them, but light has forsaken this city, this world. In the end, its all for naught, but what harm can come from at least trying.

They were a rebel group called Thunder. All born and bred in the slums, they were feared throughout Midgard for a multitude of terrorist acts against Shinto. My name it seems travels almost as fast as my blade, and they sought me out with an unexpected urgency. I remember our meeting vividly…

"You're late" I said without turning around. They weren't hard to detect, even though I could tell they were trying to keep quiet. Being what I am has its perks. Turning my head, I observed my visitors. One was a woman, roughly about 26, long purple hair, very attractive. She wore around her belt a scabbard of grey, pale silver. In it was no doubt a sword, its make I could not tell. Judging by her appearance, I suspected she was no novice at wielding it.

Accompanying her were two men. One was big, burly, and almost ogre-like. He had a dark complexion and even darker hair grew along the sides of his face meeting at his chin. These features, however, weren't what held my gaze. In the place of a left hand, my friend had a machine gun of sorts. Equipped with at least eight barrels, it posed a difficulty should I wish to try and escape.

The last man wore a long, hooded robe which covered his entire body. I couldn't get much more then a general look at him. He appeared to be slightly crippled. He was no where near as big as the troll of a companion that stood at his side. My suspicions were confirmed when from under his cloak came a small, wrinkled hand holding an oaken staff.

I've encountered many things in my life, things that would frighten a lesser man into submission by mere mention. In 30 years of this cursed hell I've never once been afraid, but something about that man…well frankly… he scared me. Perhaps it was just his obscure nature, hidden behind that cloak. Perhaps I was just on edge about this whole ordeal. For whatever reason founded me fears, there is one thing I do know, I only detected two people approaching.

"I don't like him" grunted the large one. "He looks scrawny, and we don't need anymore spiky haired son of a bitc…"

"That will do Barret" the woman said cutting him off. "Please excuse him. Barret isn't much of a thinker, however, he does have a point…" She began to circle me, like a white man appraising slaves. Clicking her teeth impatiently, she completed her scan. Returning to her spot she looked displeased. "I don't know, this line of work isn't for weaklings…." The hooded man stepped forward and continued until his forehead was nearly touching mine. Even at this range, his facial features were still a mystery to me. I gazed into the bottomless depths of his hood as he stared at me. Even though I couldn't see him, I knew where he was looking…my eyes. He continued to stare for a time, and then backing away he returned behind the shoulder of Barret.

"He will be of great help to us….yes great help" His voice was weak and craggy. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Could he be…no impossible. No one survived that hell. Barret began to protest, but the female cut him off with a sharp glare. Something about that glare told me this man's word was the law to these people. She turned to me.

"Before you accept, you must understand the dangers at risk." Rolling my eyes, I was about to be a smart ass when my better half restrained myself. She caught my annoyance anyway. "Something tells me you don't care about the danger involved. Am I right?"

"Yes" I answered quietly, maintaining my composure. She pondered on this a little bit, then a soft smile came to her face.

"Welcome aboard then, names Vitalia." She extended her hand to me. Ignoring it I began to follow the old man, who had turned to leave. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked catching up to me. "I mean most people consider going against Shinto to be suicide. Many see us as terrorists and we have an abundance of enemies. You could die, if just the slightest thing goes wrong, aren't you the least bit worried?" I continued walking.

"Why should I be…? I'm already dead."



Vitalia flicked her hair back as she centered herself over a long steel beam, stretching across one of the supports that holds the plates above the slums to a nearby power tower. Expertly she made her way down the thin walkway, across only inches of steel. With a small hop she landed on a catwalk surrounding the tower. Flicking a switch, the sounds of grinding gears and creaky machinery filled the air. From the opposite side of the tower, a long metal bridge swung into view. Locking up with our current platform, we crossed it onto the tower. Once we were all across, Vitalia switched the bridge back around.

"So no one can follow us" she remarked giving me a shy smile. Her wavy hair appeared to match her perfect complexion seamlessly. I gazed at her as the group turned to head down a ladder. Silencing my lust, I followed her descent. I am a ghost, nothing more.

We came upon a dimly lit alley. A maze of concrete followed as we made dozens of turns. Losing track after awhile, I simply assumed someone would show me again if I had to leave.

"Careful up here, this stretch of the slums is home to many cutthroats and criminals. They have only enough dignity to taunt you before the put a knife in your back, and that's an overstatement." Vitalia's tone turned serious, her hand tensed near her sword. Slowly we crept up the alley. Twitching every which way as we went, Barret began to fiddle with his firearm. He to was nervous. Even the old man seemed to move with hastened speed. I was about to pass it off as paranoia when I picked up something.

"Damnit, how'd they get so close" I muttered under my breath realizing how long I must have been ignoring the signals. There were eight of them, four around the corner, two up above us in the rafters, and two more trailing behind us. Before I could give the warning they attacked.

It was quick, instant, and effective. A heavy weighted net dropped from above by one of the attackers caught Barret and the old man in a snare, while the other one shot Barret's arm gun with an EMP rendering him useless. Raising his staff in an outright fashion, the old man enveloped the two ambushers above him in white flame. Before he could turn his blast on the two flankers, a shock shot sent him down as well.

Plunging my hand into my coat, I expertly gathered and equipped myself with five silver shirukens. With a quick flick of my wrist, I sent them in a lethal spiral of death towards one of the flankers. They hit their marks with sickening accuracy. His body riddled with metal, collapsed to the ground. I could feel the Kai building up in me. Turning my rage-filled sights on the second flanker, I decided a premature blast should be enough to handle a mundane pick pocket. Focusing my energy into my palm, I prepared to release it.

"Vak Don!" I yelled, thrusting my hand forward. Flame erupted from my palm, covering the entire area of the alley. I didn't need to see if he was dead. Turning I focused my thoughts on the four still in front of me.

Vitalia was in a wild dance of steel, ducking and weaving fending off all four of them. Taking what she was given she waited for the opportune moment. She was a well-trained swordsman. One of the attackers thrusted his sword, a cheap iron broadsword by the sheen and make of it, at Vitalia's hip. Shifting her weight, she spun sideways bringing her blade down hard. The man's arm flopped uselessly to the ground. Howling in pain, he collapsed against a wall.

Vitalia came to face her remaining opponents. With only three left, it would have been a short battle had the one armed man not pulled out a magnum from his jacket. His eyes glazing over in death from the loss of blood, he made a wild shot before it took him. The bullet penetrated Vitalia's left calf. She instantly went to her knees.

A twinge of urgency rushed through me as I propelled myself forward with a little bit of Kai. I've lost companions in battle before, but it seemed imperative that she be saved. Extending my leg, I caught one of the attackers in the back of the head. The force of my kick instantly split his skull against the hard stone. I stood between the last two, and Vitalia.

"Crawl behind that dumpster Vitalia, I can handle these two." I turned to her, giving her a pleading look. She nodded and gave me a smile of thanks. Damn, she was beautiful. Focusing my thoughts back towards my attackers, I took the stance that has lead every enemy before them to their death. Arms folded across my chest, an emblem of a taunt. My body expression screamed "Come get me" It always worked.

With a yell the first attacker charged forward with his sword raised. He brought it down at my head, and time slowed down. Another helpful perk. I was in another dimension, between space and time. Perhaps that's what made us so invincible. Perhaps that's what made us machines of war. Slowly I stepped from the blades lethal path, and out came the silent killer. Thousands of creatures, man and beast, have fallen victim to this blade. None have ever seen it in combat. In a quick flash it was over.

The bandit stared at me momentarily before his top half rolled to the ground. My monstrous work done, I put on the face I was born to wear. It showed no emotion, no resentment or regret. Like the sky itself, it was steel.

My final foe quivered in fear. I looked at him with my emotionless face.

"Drop your sword" I said in a tone so calm and centered, it struck fear into the heart of the man. With a quick thrust he threw his sword to the dirt. Observing him I noticed several things. The damp spot on his tattered and ragged jeans told me just how scared for his life he was. The man was merely a boy, perhaps at most 15. By the looks of him he was forced to turn to banditry to provide a living for himself. Reaching into my pocket, I saw the man tense, fearing the worst. I pulled out a silver mionite, a rare gem that most will die without ever seeing. It was probably worth more then half a sector.

"Take this to Dreth in Sector 12, he'll be able to give you lodging, food, and a job. May death find you quickly, should you ever bring harm to another innocent soul. Chances for a life don't come often in the slums… I suggest you take this one." The boy stared at me for a moment, still wondering why he didn't lay in two like his companion. After several seconds of silence, the boys mind came to and gave him a shock in his hindquarters. He turned and took off down the other end of the alley. After several hundred yards I noticed how his run changed to a skip of glee. A rare smile came across my face as I saw to my companions.

Barret had managed to cut himself free of the net with his knife. Amidst his profane cursing he slid it into its resting spot on the inner side of his thigh. The old man too, seemed to be coming around from the effects of the paralysis. Vitalia, however, was in no better condition than when I left her.

"The lucky bastard…" muttering as she grimaced in pain. The wound was bleeding profusely. Her fingers were stained red as she tried to stem the flow of blood. Moving her hands away I inspected the injury. I shook my head at what I knew I had to do. The bullet was of a new make, cheap and mass produced in a factory riddled with bacteria and disease. The bullet had to be removed or she risk fatal infection.

"I'll apologize up front for what I must do." I pulled out a small silver knife from beneath my cloak. The bullet was buried about an inch and a half into her calf. She would be on crutches for awhile. The knife was small enough to slide in through the already opened hole, however that was the least of her problems. "Brace yourself, and try not to struggle. The more you do the longer I have to dig." She snatched my free hand and squeezed. A reassuring smile looked me in the face. Startled, I returned the smile and set about my task.

She was a strong girl, and though she did not scream, tears still rolled down her face. I slowly slid my knife into the soft tissue of her calf under the bullet, working my way up around it. After several agonizing minutes, I had dug out enough to get the blade up behind the bullet. Now the tough part. I turned to Vitalia. "Fast or slow?" I asked her, my face still an empty canvas of emotion.

"Just get the damn thing out." She grimaced. Her hand squeezed mine so hard she began to turn my fingers white. I didn't complain. Her soft skin was a blessing upon my cold, dead body.

"1…2…3!" I counted down. Upon three I ripped the knife backward out of her leg, sending the bullet flying across the alley. She cried in pain, quickly stifling herself. Collapsing into my arms, her warm embrace startled me. She lay there, head over my shoulder. I began to feel the tears running down the back of my cape and for the first time in many years, I felt... almost human. No barrier between me and the person next to me, just an ordinary man in this crazy world. I wanted never to let go. Never….

Suddenly, a bullet struck a large hole in the wall inches from my neck. More bandits it seemed. Jumping up I went to pick up Vitalia. Barret shoved me aside.

"Get going, I'll take care of her! Go!" He grunted, thrusting her over his shoulder like a doll. Turning he took off after the old man who had instinctively been ahead in this escape. I ducked as another bullet flew by my midsection and proceeded to move down the alley after my new found allies. Taking a quick preliminary scan, I sensed over twelve more men were after us. Seemed odd for bandits to travel in such big groups. Looking ahead I saw that Vitalia had passed out from the pain. Although it was necessary, I hated myself for causing it. I had induced pain in the past, but never before had I regretted it. All those times… I just thought it was my purpose.

A pulse of energy went off like a bomb in my head. Nearly blacking out from the pain I realized it was my second sight using its last resort to get my attention. A bullet was two inches from penetrating my spinal cord, and many more were coming after it. If I didn't dimension slip, the bullet would likely paralyze or kill me, but I had already done it once and if I did it again I could risk ripping the fabrics of time, sending the world into a cataclysmic black hole. Choices……



The memories return again. Ever they haunt my waking thoughts as well as my dreams. They trained us night and day, never allowing us to rest. Many didn't survive the "instruction." I remember it was hardly above torture. The few that did make it through were unstoppable in combat. That's when the real training began. For hours we would practice using and controlling our abilities. I've been exposed to numerous amounts of pain. Shot in just about every body part available, stabbed straight in the chest just inches from my heart, dangled off a seventeen story building from a chain around my neck, but nothing prepared me for my first time transcending dimensions. Words could not describe the pain of feeling every fiber from your body plucked off one by one. Countless times they forced us to dimension slip, until we were used to the pain. They warned us to never overuse it. Inside here, it was a simulated slip, but in the outside world the effects of ripping the fabric of time would be irreversible and fatal. The pain slowly floats away as my mind fades to the nothingness of the steel sky again. Cold, dark, nothingness.



With the utmost caution, I tapped into my powers. Like I had done so many times before, I slipped in between the cracks of time. The pain subsided as I assessed my position. Springing my body with enough force to send a normal man into orbit, I propelled myself above the bullets path. That's what they trained us for. It took incredible strength to move fast enough to make a difference in this slowed state of time. Otherwise, you would only watch yourself die slower. I flipped to watch the bullet soar through where my spine had been nanoseconds ago. At this slowed state, it was possible to see the air streams coming off of the bullet.

I suddenly realized something dreadful. While I was no longer the bullets target, along with the nine other behind it, Vitalia and Barret were. My hand once again plunged into my cloak. Ripping "Silence" from her resting place, I centered the blade in front of me. Even in this dark, steel hell, she shone with amazing resilience.

It was given to me by scientists the day before I escaped. It was the perfect weapon, also enhanced with Mako. "A super weapon for a super warrior" they said. The blade was a living thing, for the essence drained of the earth does not die, it is simply transferred.

My legs coiled against the stone wall of the alley behind me, launching myself like a grasshopper once again into the bullet's path. Centering my aim, I brought "Silence" down in an arc meant to shatter the bullet in two. I watched slowly as vapor mists foamed off the blade. She was moving so fast she had heated the air up, literally burning the atoms. She struck her target head on, and the two halves began a quick and drastic descent. Sheathing her I turned my thoughts on the threat ahead.

Already I had become fatigued from this much movement in the rift, and I would die of exhaustion trying to keep all these bullets at bay. My Kai levels were still high, so I decided that would be the best direction. Not only would this remove the threat of the spiraling plugs of death heading for me, but a large enough blast could take out the remaining attackers. I just had to make sure not to expend it all.

Still drifting through the air, I began to focus my anger, my rage. All those years of torment and agony flooded through my veins, boiling the very blood inside of me. I extended my hands outward together as the cool flame began to grow in my palms. More… I concentrated everything on the growth of that power. I thought of my new found companions. I thought of how these men made me hurt Vitalia. Suddenly at this thought a force I have yet to comprehend erupted inside of me. A sudden explosion, the size of which I had never produced, blew me back into normal time. My whole world seized in agony as a white light filled my vision. Then all went dark.



My vision blurred in and out. White images bounced back and forth in front of my eyes. For hours it seems I was suspended in this narcotic state of rest. Was I dead? Had my nightmare finally ended? I began to feel a swell of relief when suddenly a new wave of emotion flew through me. What about Vitalia? I would never see her again! Rage slowly began to build, leaping forward like hot jets from an erupting volcano.

I began to hear an incomprehensible scream growing from somewhere far off. It started softly, than burst into an agonizing wail. Where was it coming from? I could feel the drums in my ears quaking, but the sound continued to grow louder and louder. Pain began to filter through my head. After several more excruciating moments I realized it was me screaming.

Suddenly I felt my body lunge forward and reality hit my like brick. I tried to open my eyes only to realize they were open. I saw nothing but blackness. Am I still dead? I sat up, however; and slowly my eyes began to adjust.

What I thought was reality hitting me was really a cold, steel floor. Ironic. I was quartered in a small room. A cast iron bed stood behind me. This was what I had thrown myself from. Before I could observe anything else about my surroundings, my eyes were barraged with a harsh light from in front of me.

"I heard screaming, is everything okay?" I recognized Vitalia's sweet voice. After several more seconds of agony, my pupils finally relocated themselves to the proper size. Vitalia was in the doorway. As I assumed, she was on crutches. She stood there with a strange smile on her face for while, and when neither of us broke the silence she spoke up.

"You feeling any better?"

"I think so," I murmured, "What happened?" My head still ached and throbbed with pain. I noticed my hands were burned and in some places the tissue had been torn off. Aside from that, there were numerous bruises and contusions in multiple places throughout my body.

"Well, I was unconscious at the time, but Cain told me what happened. Apparently one of the bandits chasing us threw a grenade and it exploded near you. You were out cold. He said that Barret held them off with his machine gun while he grabbed you and escaped." Finishing her explanation, she sat down on the bed behind me.

"Cain?" I questioned. I assumed this was the old man, "Is that the cloaked man's name?" She nodded her head.

Of course, her explanation wasn't right, I remembered what happened basically. What I didn't understand was how my powers escalated like that. They were far beyond my control. I came to the conclusion that something triggered a massive amount of Kai in my body, probably almost all of it. I guess expending such a large amount was just too much for me to handle.

"Skye?" she said in an inquisitive tone. I looked up at her. She wore a face that conveyed a sense of longing. A longing to do what, I didn't know, but I subconsciously mandated myself to do whatever I could to help feed that longing. Before I could contemplate these foreign feelings any longer, she asked me a question no one's ever asked me.

"What do you think the outside world is like… I mean outside Midgard. The ocean, the plains, the sun. Skye, have you ever seen the sky?" She almost appeared as a little child asking an elder silly questions of the way the world worked. The sad thing was these were the questions ever child in the slums has been asking for generations.

Memories slowly flooded back, back to a day when I escaped the Shinto Complex for a time. I was about nine years old. I buried myself in a large trash container, and when the Janitors bagged it up, they didn't even notice the extra weight. I ended up in a dump in the slums smelling like garbage and rotten cheese.

For two years I wandered the roads and alleys of Sector 2. This world was foreign to me. Slowly I began to learn of the anatomy of Midgard. I learned about the plate and what Shinto had done to this city. I sat and listened to people talk for hours about everything, one meeting I remember vividly. I chose this one to tell to Vitalia.

"I was nine when I met my first trader. They rarely came down to the slums; the people barely had enough money for food let alone trinkets from abroad. The coming of a trader was like the coming of Gaia herself, whom I soon learned to be the mother of the earth.

He was dressed strangely, in bright clothes of some aboriginal weave. His hair was dark and wavy, surrounding a scrunched old face that had seen much hardship. All about this man was alien to me, except his eyes. To others his eyes were an obscure slit of brown, covered by wrinkled flaps of skin, however; his face softened when he saw me. The slits widened to reveal eyes, not brown but blue, blue as I would imagine the sea would be.

He took me to a nearby bench. We sat down and talked for hours. He told me stories of a world outside. He told me Gaia was the mother of the Earth, and it was she that looked after us. He said when the earth was parched and dead, Gaia wept, and her tears fell from the sky. This, he said, was rain, and it healed the earth.

When Gaia sang, he said, her voice flew across the earth like a divine force, shaking the trees and bending the grass, creating a symphony beautiful enough to capture her own in its entire splendor. This he said was called wind.

He spoke of Gaia's sister, Rawah, whose holy light crossed the sky each day striking out and destroying the darkness. This he said was the sun.

He also spoke of Gaia's first brother, Lunarius the Brave, He was called this for a very strong reason. He said, though Gaia was the mother of the earth, she did not dare dispute her second brother, Virgil's, rule over the earth after the sun had gone down. With his vast powers of darkness, he shrouded the world in a deep shadow. For centuries people lived in fear of this time. This, he said, was called night. Lunarius, however, was appalled by his sister's willingness to give in. Though he was much weaker then his brother, Lunarius would toil each and every night to cross the sky, just as Rawah did during the day, in an attempt to provide even the smallest sliver of light. This, he said, was called the moon.

I sat there, enthralled by the stories he told me. Parables of wind, sun, and rain may seem like mundane comings and goings, but in the slums, they were biblical events. Nothing is natural about the slums, its just steel. Walls of steel, roads of steel, houses of steel, even people seem to slowly take on a steely touch and personality. All of it, beneath a steel sky."

I finished my story and turned away from Vitalia's warm glow. A slow tear trickled down my face off my chin. I would never again come any closer to experiencing the world as others did. After those two years, I was captured again and taken back to Shinto. That would be the last time I felt anything natural.

Vitalia saw that I was in pain. Her face seemed to question my reason for this sadness. She could not even begin to understand what they have turned me into. Slowly she crawled from the bed and wrapped her hands around me in a warm and loving embrace. The feeling came suddenly, but left a lasting mark on my heart. It was the same one I had experienced in the alleyway. Could this be real? I wondered.

Somewhere far off in the sea of steel and blackness, a small flame flickered. It was weak, and overpowered by the oppressive darkness surrounding it, but faintly it kindled itself.

Chapter Four: Steel Love

An annoying chirp startled me from sleep. Last night was still a blur, but I remember Vitalia falling asleep in my arms. I lifted her into my bed and lay her down. Covering her with a blanket, I took a seat at the foot of the bed. My hand rested on my sword hilt. Slowly I had slipped into unconsciousness until I was awakened by…

"A bird!" I cried, quite startled. Up above a bookshelf was a barred window. Sitting in between two bars was a small blue jay, tweeting quite contently. Vitalia woke from her sleep as well due to my surprised outburst. She sat up and looked at me oddly.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Still slightly shaken, I simply pointed a trembling finger to the window. Vitalia's concern vanished and was replaced by a loving smile. "I see you've meet Nao." Still, I was confused.

"A bird in the slums? I thought they all flew off, or died from the smog." It was a known fact that just about every brand of woodland creature, even pigeons had left the slums. This was the reason for my extreme surprise. I had never seen a bird in my life, besides the pictures I saw in books.

"Yep, Nao is the only bird I've ever seen. Somehow he manages to survive in this forsaken city. He leaves from time to time, but always seems to return right when I need him most." She finished her statement with slight recoil, her head fell slightly and a small frown curled over her usual beautiful smile. Raising my hand, I slowly lifted her face to meet mine. Her emerald eyes were wet with tears.

"Why do you need him?" I tentatively asked. I could tell I was treading on a raw nerve, and I didn't want to be too direct. Vitalia's face broke into a smile, and she gave a small laugh.

"It may sound stupid, but Nao keeps me going, keeps me fighting. He's a reminder of the beauty that once flourished here. He helps to keep my hopes up that one day we can succeed in shutting Shinto down and find a way out of this cursed city. I don't know what I'd do without him." Her voice turned soft and soothing. She slowly extended her hand upward. Like clock-work, Nao flew down from his perch and landed on her finger. She pulled him back close to her face. The tiny bird hopped forward and pecked her nose affectionately. She smiled and looked up at me. "Would you like to hold him?"

"I don't know if that's such a good idea." I said recoiling. These hands weren't meant to cradle life, only to end it. Suddenly it was all too much. I sprang from the bed and crashed out the door.

"Skye! Skye what's wrong!" Vitalia cried after me. I heard her rise from the bed and follow after me, but I needed to get away. I ran aimlessly through steel corridors and hallways, crashing though heavy metal doors like they were curtains. I could feel the rage building and I needed to get out. Finally I ended up on a balcony. I ran to the banister and let it all loose.

"WHY! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME! GOD'S ABOVE WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME!" My voice boomed into the dark abyss before me. Extending my hands, my rage exploded. "WHY!" Large blasts of Kai energy began erupting from my palms. My hair rose and waved back and forth, crackling with electricity. Streams of Kai began to flow from my eyes, glazing them over with white heat. In all this chaos, I didn't hear Vitalia open the door. My fury continued for several more seconds until I had nearly expended all my Kai again. Collapsing before the banister, I lowered my head in submission. My heart was not ready for the torment that it would have to endure next.

Turning back around I saw a horrified and crying Vitalia, curled up in the corner. Our eyes met. Hers were frightened and confused, where as mine were remorseful and apologetic. Finally I found my voice and broke the silence.

"Vitalia…I'm…I'm sorry… I didn't m…"My voice trailed off, I couldn't keep it together anymore. The one thing in this hell of a life that felt right was now too scared to move in my presence. For the first time since the Mako transformation… I cried. Large tears quickly began to streak down my face. Was this part of my punishment, punishment for my existence? I dropped my head between my knees, running my hands through my blond hair. I sat there sobbing for several more seconds, until I felt a warm touch upon my hand. I looked up into the equally tear stained face of Vitalia. She collapsed into my arms in a lasting embrace. I don't remember how long we stayed like that, but I wish it had never ended. Eventually she pulled away slightly and looked me in the eyes.

"What are you?" She asked, her voice quivering, but maintaining her composure. Neither of us wanted another breakdown. I slowly centered my thoughts; she had to know the truth.

"After being studied to make sure we were the proper type for the experiment, myself and 14 other newborns were snatched from the arms of their mothers at birth. All except for me that is, my mother had died in labor. We were taken to a remote laboratory hidden deep inside Shinto's Main Facility. When we were 5, the instruction began. For the next ten years we were trained till exhaustion each day. Every session we grew stronger, but as we progressed the exercises grew harder and harder. We could never make any headway. Eight died before the age of 15. Then we were put through the Mako Infusion. Nothing on this earth could come close to the pain we underwent for what seemed like days. It was beyond death." I stopped here and nearly lost it again. The memories were too much. Endless screaming…

"Its ok, you don-"

"No, I'm fine," I interrupted. Quickly regaining my poise, I continued. "When they finally ended the infusion, most of us had been stripped of skin and muscle tissue. One of the subject's skull had cracked and his brain was burned to ashes. Another had his lungs charred from the inside out. Their bodies were tossed into a furnace and with a few strokes of a keypad, they never existed. The rest of us sustained grievous wounds cause pain nearly as terrible as the infusion.

For the next several weeks, the remaining five of us laid on a cold, steel table while they went about reassembling our bodies. Multiple organs had been ruptured, and had to be repaired by surgical means. We were fully conscious for every agonizing minute. I dare not describe those three weeks anymore, however I will say that when they were finished, only myself and another test subject, Ronin, were left.

Ronin and I had become friends during the time we spent together. We kept ourselves up when the other was falling. Without Ronin, I don't think I would have made it. For the next five years we were trained to use our powers. What you saw just now was my physical endurance, transferred into a power blast. It's called Kai. That grenade that Cain said knocked me out was actually me expending nearly all of my Kai. We can also move faster then the eye can see, but in exchange for all this power, we are no longer human. We are just ghosts, ghosts doomed for one purpose. To kill. When I escaped I killed everyone on all eighty-seven floors of my prison. Thrust, slash, lash, stab, jump, impale. They weren't people anymore, simply variables in a cold equation." At this point I began to break down again. Never before had I recalled memories of my past victims and had remorse or regret, yet here I was crying for them. So many lives I ended, so many families I had torn apart, so many orphans I had put on the streets. A flood of gory memories came rushing back, all drowning my mind in a sea of steel and death. I began to hyperventilate, when the hand of a goddess shattered the darkness that had covered my vision. Looking up I saw that my savior was Vitalia. She pulled me to my feet and looked into my teary, red eyes. There were no words, no soothing solace to make my pain flee. I stood waiting for some attempt to drive away my memories.

For thirty years I had never experienced love. Like this damn city, the world was cold and steel upon my flesh. Since meeting Vitalia, I had found an anomaly in this structure. When she was near I could sense it, when she touched me I felt it. Then something happened that I would have never foreseen in a million years. I experienced it.

Vitalia put her delicate hand on my wet cheek. I was still crying, and thick tears streamed over her fingers. I could feel her warmth upon my icy skin. Stepping forward, she leveled her nose with mine. I could feel her breathe upon my face. Then slowly, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against my mouth. In that instant, my life had meaning. A warm blaze flew through my body like wildfire. My memories shuddered at this newfound power, and fled from my thoughts.

I subconsciously tore a rift, and pulled Vitalia and myself in between dimensions. Our lips still embracing each other like young lovers unwilling to let go, we floated beyond time and space. I had never felt happier in my entire life. When had I ever felt happy to begin with? It didn't matter. I would never let go.

Beyond our united forms floating like the constellation of two ancient lovers in the sky the flame slowly grew. Ever battling the encroaching evil, the embers continued to persevere.

Chapter Five : The Perfect Weapon

I awoke to the sounds of a large fist beating itself repeatedly upon the steel door to my corridors. Beyond what I most recently recalled, the rest of last night was a mystery to me. How I ended up back in my quarters, I cannot account for. My awakener threw open my door in a gruff manner, and felt it necessary to ask me if I was up.

"Hey spike head, you up yet? You've been sleeping for hours, it's almost night again. We've got to prepare for our next operation, so get your skinny ass to the operation deck pronto." Barret, showing his unceasing lack of vocabulary, punctuated these orders clearly and firmly, like a parent speaking to an insolent child. Heh, a child with more strength then him in it's left arm.

Rising, I threw on my cloak, grabbed Silence, and headed for the door. I was about to leave when a faint chirping caught my attention. Turning I saw that Nao was back at his usual perch. I smiled softly, which was something I noticed I was doing a lot more often, and headed for the operation deck. Where it was I had no idea, but I detected a large mass of people in one central area, that would be my best bet.

Several doors and corridors later, I found myself at a large steel entryway, the words "Operation Deck" were inscribed in red at the head of the arch. Entering the room, I was hit with the faint glow of underpowered artificial light, like there would be any other kind, and the static hum of a large number of TV and computer monitors. Proving my suspicion was a wall lined with at least thirty screens, some black, some blizzard, and some showing actual pictures and things.

"So, the mystery man finally awakes!" The old man seemed to appear from the corner as he spoke. "How are you feeling after that battle? That was a lot of Kai you expelled, you should be more careful, you could kill yourself if you overexert your strength."

Turning from me, he began to pour himself a cup of coffee from a pot on the table. Meanwhile, I stood dumbstruck and quite taken aback by several things. First off the fact he knew what I was, and how my power worked. Shinto HQ is the most top secret facility in the world, and every scientist that worked on the experiment is dead, along with just about everyone who would have known about it, I saw to that personally. Secondly was the mundane way he proceeded to address it, as if he was used to it. Conclusions began to form in my head, but I decided to lay off any accusations, at least for awhile.

"How do you know what Kai is?" I asked nervously. Taking a sip from his coffee, Cain set his cup on the table.

"Why do you fight Skye? Do you like to kill?" he asked turning his face towards mine. In the darkness I could still not see the features of his face. As before in the alley, my fear of this strange man remained.

"I am hunted, I fight to survive," I answered solemnly.

"Correct, you fight because you must. Just as I know what you are because I must know. Your journey is a dark one Skye, one I fear will demand more of you than you thought you ever had."

"What are you a seer? Besides, my road has always been dark, I foresee nothing I could lose that hasn't already been stolen from me. I fear nothing." Our conversation quickly escalated from a gentle whisper to a raised tone bordering an argument. Who was he to think he knew me?

"Then why do you live, Skye?" Cain it seemed had only the capacity to speak in riddles and questions. Getting a straightforward answer was unlikely.

"What kind of a question is that?" This old man was becoming more annoying by the second, yet at the same time more intriguing in the same aspect.

"Ask yourself Skye, because a man who fears nothing, loves nothing. And a man who loves nothing, has nothing to live for." With that he turned and crossed the steel catwalk down a flight of stairs. "If you still wish to help us, follow me." I stood there for a moment, pondering his last statement. Without coming to a conclusion, I stepped forward into the Operations Deck.



Seated around a large, circular table were a variety of characters. Vitalia, Cain, and Barret I already knew, but there were many I didn't. Cain rose as I took my seat and began to speak.

"Introductions, introductions…yes. Well let's just go around then shall we. Seated next to you Skye is Crash, Thunder's demolitions expert." He paused for a moment, allowing Crash to say something on his behalf. He was a short fellow, only about 5, 3 I'd guess. His hair was a deep ruby, and came to several spiky points over his head as mine did. He wore the smile of an innocent child, and a certain aura of positive energy radiated from him. I was already annoyed.

"Alright! Two spiky heads to piss off Barret. Welcome to Thunder dude. Like Cain said the names Crash, demolitions extraordinaire. To be blunt, I make things go boom." He ended with a goofy smile. I gave a slight grunt to acknowledge his presence, but nothing more. No wonder Barret has a grudge against spiky hair, this guy could make a nun swear. Crash's smile lessened slightly. "Ahh a man of few words, well then you and Shatter will go together quite nicely. He never talks either."

"Excellent lead in to our next member Crash. Skye, this is Steven Stone, but everyone calls him Shatter. He's our special weapons expert and marksman." Again Cain paused, however Shatter only grunted his approval of me. I liked him already. I returned the grunt. Cain held a puzzled look for several moments, then continued on to the next member. His gaze fell on a red headed girl working furiously on some mechanic gadget.

"Ah Cortana, do you ever rest?" Cain asked in a fatherly tone. The girl looked up from her work momentarily. She was no more than 16. Her facial features were nearly identical to that of Vitalia, and the vibrant hair color like Vi was a dead give away.

"Heh, with all the equipment Barret breaks, I've got to work 24/7 just to keep this place operational. Oh, whose the new guy?" She asked as if I had just appeared.Avoiding a menacing glance from Barret, she turned her questioning eyes to Vitalia.

"His name is Skye. He's going to be our…special tactics expert." She gave me an apologetic look. I nodded, let her stay young. Youth and innocence were hard to find in the slums. You had to admire people like Crash and Cortana who can shut out all the horror around them and still find the light in any situation. She smiled at me with the same beauty that Vitalia had, but without the cares that she carried.

"Oh, how rude of me, I'm Cortana, I'm Vitalia's youn-"

"Sister, yes I can see. The resemblance is remarkable. Your much cuter though, and your nose is much more shapely then hers." Cortana blushed almost as red as her hair, while Vitalia gave me a threatening glare. I returned it with a playful smile, and saw hers break out to match mine. Suddenly time slowed, and I realized what had just happened. I was being playful, teasing even. These feelings shot threw me like a bullet. I had only spent a little under two days with Thunder, and already I was beginning to feel…normal. Cain broke my secluded thought.

"Yes I must agree Vitalia, your sisters nose is more shapely. Now onto business. Skye, you have just met and joined what we have dubbed Thunder EAST. Elite Attack Strike Team. There are many other members of Thunder who work behind the scenes. Spies, suppliers, that sort of thing. They provide us with information and means to accomplish our goals. That goal is the total destruction of Shinto. Tonight is our first big move against them, and if all goes well it should be a crippling one. We are going to take out reactor number five. We've received word that a flaw in the security system will provide us with a severe advantage. However, if the Shinto's Elite Police Force, or SEPF, gets involved we won't stand a chance. So, it's a quick in and out mission. Cortana take it from here." Cortana rose from her chair and strode across the room. Leaning over, she tapped several keys on a computer hidden behind a partition wall. Suddenly the dozens of TV screens synchronized to form one image, a map.

"This is the floor plans for every square inch of Shinto's facility we will have to set foot on. We start here," she said flashing a small pen laser over a sewer cover. "This is our security flaw. This man hole will allow us to bypass the entry security, which is impenetrable without making some noise, which is something we don't want to do at this point in the mission. As you can see, this sewer will put us in a back alley between two small research facilities. We still have a ways to go to get to the reactor core."

I observed the map closely. The plate itself was more of an octagon. This provided a corner for each of the eight reactors. This was a basic and effective defense tactic. The sewer would allow a complete bypass of the first wall, as Cortana had mentioned.

"The second wall is less fortified then the first, but will still pose a challenge. The wall is seven feet of reinforced steel, so anything to blow it will be too loud to risk. Climbing is also out of the question, the surface is completely flat, and equipped with motion and sensor detectors. If so much as a fly lands on that wall, the alarms will go off. So, our only option is to go over."

With another click on her pen, a wire frame of the two computer labs appeared. The camera zoomed to show a fire escape leading to the top of the facility.

"After exiting the sewers, I will get a remote access through one of the two labs computers. According to our intel, the lab is empty by at the latest 1 am. From there I'll cut the power to the facility. While I'm doing this, Shatter, Vitalia, and Skye will scale to the top of the lab closet to the wall. Once the power is out, you three will paraglide over the wall, and hide in the surrounding brush without fear of search lights or sensors. You've then got a 30-45 second grace period depending you how fast you land to blow the door on docking bay located here, just 30 yards from your current position. During that time, all sensors and detectors will be offline until the back up generators come online. That's were you come in Crash, what do you got for me." Crash removed a small grey package with a large sucker on one side.

"It's a sulphuric acid bomb. Just latch it on and stand clear. One little pop, and that baby will eat through up to 3 inches of steel. Nice and quiet to." Sliding it across the table, Crash leaned back as everyone else ducked in fear of a detonation. "Chill, I haven't put the detonator in yet, sheesh."

"And what happens if the door to the docking bay is thicker then 3 inches, or your "bomb" doesn't work at all." Shatter asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Start asking for forgiveness for all those heads you popped bullet-boy, cause SEPH will be on you faster than you can cock that shiny rifle of yours," sneered Barret.

"Always the optimist aren't you Barret." Crash pulled a second package identical to the first. "For just such and occasion." Shatter again raised a scenario.

"Let's say neither of the bombs work, or only one works and its not enough or they both wor-" Vitalia broke her silence and interrupted Shatter.

"That's enough. How are we supposed to take down Shinto if we can't even trust in ourselves? Everyone on this team is the best in their field. If you can't yet trust one another, then trust the fact that everyone's ass is on the line, and if person messes up, it's their ass along with everyone else's that's in peril." Shatter sunk back in his seat in submission. Leaning forward again, he grabbed on of the bombs and pocketed it beneath his cloak, and then taking the other one he slid it across the table to me. I grabbed it and stowed it away in the same fashion.

"Right, back to the plan. Once you three are inside, you'll make your way several feet to this point here." The diagram changed to show a small corridor on the outskirts of the compound. "Directly above you will be a ventilation shaft. Enter it and crawl until you are above the operations room. This room controls the entire facility. It's always guarded by at least three shotgun armed SEPHs, plus a number of techies. Attempting to take them out would be too dangerous and not to mention loud, so Crash as again devised an alternate, haven't you Crash?" Cortana grinned mockingly at the young arsonist as he pulled another device from his sack.

"Standard sleeping gas bomb. Silent, effective, instant. The gas will take about seven seconds to knock out an elephant, so SEPH guards should only take about ten." Crash paused to see if anyone had laughed at his joke. No one did. "Yea, so just pull the pin and throw. Make sure you wear your gas masks though, can't have you sleeping on the job." Silently groaning, I pitied this poor child when it came to women, pity for the women, that is.

"Once your inside, patch this remote linkup to the network and then I will be able to shut down the entire station completely. Once this is done, all automated security systems such as turrets or locks well be completely out of the picture. That leaves only several dozen armed guards between you and the reactor."

"And how do you propose we get past that?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. Even I wasn't sure if I could take that many men. As always however Cortana had an answer for this to.

"This is where Barret comes in, Mean and Grumpy if you'd do the honors of explaining your contribution?" Cortana asked, her voice dripping with manipulative innocence.

"No…but I can explain how I'm going to save those three's asses. It's simple, so even your tiny brains can understand it. I take this big rocket launcher and turn the back side of their front entrance into a living hell. Stealth rockets should keep our position hidden on the rooftop. That should draw the guards from the reactor chamber."

"Once the guards are gone, you should have a short period of time to plant the bomb in the reactor core, I'd guess about 3 minutes. Once the bomb is armed you've got 2 minutes to get the hell out of there. Once we get confirmation you've armed the bomb we're going to unleash a volley of rockets and seismic disrupters on the second gate. This should take out all defenses, human and mechanically. From there it's a straight shot to the sewers and we head home. Any questions?" She asked, pressing a button on her pen. All the monitors went dark.

The plan was pretty straight forward, but I had my doubts. There were two parts of the heist that worried me. First was getting the guards to leave the reactor core. If I knew anything about SEPH, and I knew quite a bit, it's that they never abandon their primary objective which was in this case the core. Secondly was the escape, there was just too much room for error. Suppose there were more guards then we anticipated, or the charges didn't work. Of course I had no fear for myself, however I did fear for Vitalia's safety. I couldn't let something happen to her. I decided to voice my apprehension.

"Suppose I were to go alone?" Everyone look up from their small talk and focused on me. "If I were to take the bomb in alone."

"Why do you ask Skye?" Cain questioned, though I thought I saw a sly smile across his face. I had to mask my emotions, I couldn't let the others know.

"I just thought a single person might be able to get in and out faster then a group." Cain raised his eye brow in suspicion. I had a feeling he saw my true motives, however the rest of the group seemed oblivious.

"True, but if something happened we'd lose our one shot at taking this reactor out. At least with the three of you we would have a better chance that one might make it, not to sound morbid or anything. If all goes according to plan we've got nothing to worry about," Cortana said confidently. Cain rose from his chair and addressed the group.

"This will be a decisive blow to Shinto. For years they've thought they were invincible, but after tonight they will know and fear the name Thunder. For to long these monsters have been killing the earth, for to long have they been defiling the ways of nature. The beginning of the end starts tonight.



"The sewers Cortana? Can't you find a security flaw through like, a limo chain or something? This place smell worse then Barret's breathe after a round of Hal's Fish Sticks down at the diner!" Crash it seemed couldn't stand long silences, and had to interject something every fifteen seconds.

"You're real funny Crash. Bet you'd look even funnier with a bullet hole between those eyes." Barret twisted one of the barrels on his arm eagerly, almost sounding serious. Strange how two people who created such a dichotomy could end up working together for a common aspiration. Vitalia didn't see my amusement.

"Will you two knock it off and focus! You loud mouths are going to get us killed." Shifting her threatening glower from one male to other, she stared them down until she felt her point had been made.

We continued through the sewer in this same routine. Barret or Crash would initiate some sly comment and rile the other up, only to be silenced by the venomous gaze of Vitalia. Each time they grew more and more enraged, until I became afraid one was going to kill the other. Suddenly my fears came true, as Crash bounded up to the head of line where Barret was leading, and grabbing him around the neck brought him down hard on his back. Pouncing over him, Crash landed in front of the fallen ogre with his back to him.

Amidst a flurry of curses, Barret rose to his feet and prepared to tackle the young demolitionist. Just before he was about to take action, Crash threw up his hand.

"Stop!" He said in a quiet, warning voice. So serious was his tone, even Barret was forced to halt. Taking several small balls from one of his many pouches, he threw them onto the path before us. Each began to spin and emit a sharp hissing sound accompanied by a strange mist. When all had subsided he turned to face us.

"Well what the hell did that do?" Barret asked, still considering if he should tackle him or not. I too wondered what the young Crash had dropped those balls for. It seemed the rest of the group shared our queries. Crash did not answer immediately, but removed a strange flashlight from another pouch. Flipping through several filtering lenses, he found the one he had searching for. Snapping it on, he turned the contraption on. A pale blue light filled the dark tunnel.

Turning his hand, he shone the light down the cavern. As if by magic, feint blue streaks darted back and forth across the path way. There had to be at least two dozen of them. Crash let us stare in wonder for several seconds, and without letting the least hint of a smile pass his face he whispered two words.

"Trip wires."



The next hundred yards were the most nerve wracking minutes of my life. Slowly Crash advanced, and taking a strange contraption from another pouch began to disarm the tiny emitter of the trip wire. Time was growing late, and we had a schedule to keep. New intel had arrived before we left stating a SEPH force was to pass through for inspection of the reactor at three a.m. If we were still there when that happened, we'd be lucky to get out alive.

Everyone was tense as the young pyrotechnic teenager went about his duties. Should one of them be tripped the entire mission would go awry and we'd be hard pressed to escape.

"If one of these things goes off, pray it triggers an explosive and not an alarm. At least the explosion will kill us right away. I don't want to imagine what SEPH would do if they got their hands on us." Crash's normally cheerful face was grim and streaked with sweat. Each move he made was defined with precision and accuracy. His hands move independently, as if two separate minds were controlling them. Crash showed no signs of nervousness, but something told me he was hiding it.

"Talk to me guys, if the pressure of messing up and killing us all is the only thing on my mind I don't think I'm going to make it." Crash's voice sounded urgent, and his face began to look worried, but his hands moved with confidence. It seemed Crash was physically capable of the task, it was a mental thing. Fortunately the group seemed accustom to this behavior.

"What was your childhood like Crash?" Cortana asked with a sweet, sincere voice. She probably had an entire line of questioning ready for such an occasion. Always prepared it seemed.

"My mother and father lived above the plate. My father was a scientist for Shinto. He worked in the Mako Weaponry Lab. He never liked his job, creating weapons of destruction, but it was that or live in the slums. In fact his true passion was biology. When not working in the physics lab, trying to combine Mako into bombs, he spent hours in the botany or zoology departments. He conducted many experiments combining animals and Mako. Not a dangerous amount, but enough to make improvements. He discovered how to increase the life span of animals by almost three fold. However, these projects weren't what Shinto wanted from my father." He stopped as he pulled another wire out of its alarm. That was a total of seven so far. A quick flash from his light showed there were still at least twelve more to go.

As he began to work on the next one, Cortana continued their conversation.

"What kind of projects did your father create?" Crash's face froze for a moment, his hands still working furiously however. His eyes hardened and his voice dropped to a level of hatred I had yet to see in him.

"Weapons. Bombs, guns, even chemical gasses. He created horrible things that could kill thousands of people. My mother said he cried at night, when he thought about the lives his inventions were taking. He wanted to quit, so he started saving. My parents moved to a smaller house, stopped going out to eat. For years they lived a life of almost squalid proportions, all the while he saved his paychecks." Crash began to work faster; already he had disarmed another wire and was on to his ninth.

"What was you father saving for." Still his hands worked faster and faster, and his face grew darker and darker.

"They were going to move away, move out of the city. They had a spot picked, a beautiful little cottage in the mountains. There was a place where my father could set up a lab and study plants and wildlife like he always wanted. They were going to be so happy. Right around the last year before they left, my mother became pregnant with me. This only made my father happier. We would be family away from this terrible city. We would be a family…" Tears slowly started to streak down Crash's face. His emotions were getting the better of him. I started to worry, only to realize his hands had only increased in speed. They were moving at blindingly fast rate now. He had just seven wires left.

"What happened Crash?" There was regret in her voice. I assumed this had happened before, and Cortana hated to force Crash to live the obvious pain that accompanied the end of this story, but it was that or death.

"My father made a breakthrough with Mako Weaponry. He figured out how to create a super weapon capable of destruction in two forms. A weak massive scale, weak as in enough to disintegrate a human and massive as in continent massive, and a pinpoint blast small enough to affect only several feet, but do enough damage that he calculated it could blast through the Earth and out the other side. Horrified of his discovery, he hid it and refused to divulge it." Tears now ran down his face as he began to nearly sob. He had three wires to go.

A flash of light through a sewer vent revealed how fast Crash was working. His hands were bloodied and torn in many place. Three of his fingernails had been ripped off completely. Vitalia and Cortana both now were crying as well. I warped Vitalia in my arms to comfort her. Cain had a look of remorse on his face as well. Even Barret felt sorry for the poor guy. The only person who seemed unaffected was Shatter, who stood in the shadows.

"What happened to your father Crash?" Cortana was barely able to get the question across she was crying so hard.

"They found out about the plans. He took them from the system before they could see them. When he refused to tell them they tortured and killed him. They went after my mother, but she fled into the slums. She gave birth to me several months later. But I would not have long with her. The air in the slums slowly killed her. One night when I was five, she called me into her room. Until that moment I never knew I had a father. She told me everything, and with her dying breath gave me a slip of paper. It was the plans for my father's weapon, the perfect weapon. Then she died… I was five years old…" Crash finished his last wire, and became very still. His sobbing stopped, and his eyes grew large. I thought it was over when he began to convulse. Falling on his back he started to scream.

"WHY! Why did you take them! We were going to live in the mountains! We were going to be a family…. WHY!" His eyes were like waterfalls, and his face burned with rage. It seems I wasn't the only one who had revenge to take. He stopped screaming, but things only worsened. His voice dropped to such a dark tone it chilled me to the bone. His eyes rolled back in his head, and only a white blaze shone from his face. "I will destroy you. I will create my father's weapon and destroy you. I will destroy you…" He faded off into a low whisper until his threats were no longer audible. Rolling over on his side, he began to weep softly.

Still crying, Cortana rushed to his side and began stroking his forehead. He looked feverish, and unstable. Cortana spoke to him in a soft, motherly voice. She rolled his head into her lap and consoled him as he cried for his lost parents. I saw a look of true compassion in Cortana's eyes. Something told me she wasn't just holding him for the sake of the mission. Vitalia withdrew from my arms slightly to look me in the eyes. She saw no tears, no sadness, but more a look of sorrowful understanding. She knew I felt for the young boy. Truth be told I never even knew my parents. The earliest memories I had were of training. I was only told my mother died in labor. Other than that, my parents were two things and two things alone. Frost and steel. They had been my guardians, they had taught me how to live, and they made me to the monster I am now. Vitalia graced her hand across my cheek. Smiling through teary eyes, she whispered softly to me.

"Be strong…" Hesitating only another moment, she turned and went to help her sister calm Crash. Be strong… those two words would stick with me forever. I stared up through a grate. A massive darkness stared back at me. Tauntingly, it smirked through the bars of the sewer. The steel cynically mocked me, as it had every minute of my life. But I did not care. I had begun a journey. The road was uncertain, and the destination unknown. An excitement filled my body and mind. Whether Vitalia and I were on the road to prosperity or demise, I didn't know, but something inside of me grew, something I had never felt before.

Far off in the black abyss, the flame continued to flourish. Its light began to battle the darkness surrounding it. Though still outnumbered and overpowered, the fire finally had a purpose, and a name. Hope.

Chapter Six : Infiltration

We made our way up and out of the sewers. The smog filled air of the slums was a welcome guest compared to the filth of the sewers. Barret went first. Sliding the man hole from the street as quietly as he could, he climbed out. Strapping on vision goggles, he scanned the area using infrared and electromagnetic sensors.
"Clean" he signaled in hand code. The rebels were experienced enough to know security as tight as this was far to advanced to risk spoken word. They communicated through a quick serious of hand signals. A simple combination of wrist rotations and finger movements conveyed letters to spell out warnings or commands.

Vitalia followed him, and then came Cortana and Crash. Crash was quiet and passive. A look of fear dominated his face, like he was locked in some childhood nightmare. Cain climbed out, confidence permeating from his optimistic manner. It seemed he felt things were going perfectly. In truth, he was right. We had successfully bypassed the first security wall, and thanks to Crash's speedy hands we were still on schedule, but at what price. The state of the troubled youth concerned me. Would he ever recover from such a traumatic recollection?

Hand over hand, I gripped the wet steel of the man hole ladder and pulled myself to the surface. The all too familiar silence of the slums hummed about me. There was noise sure enough. Sounds of steel grating and generators buzzing was abundant, but all of it was unnatural. Shatter brought up the rear. He of all was the most mysterious to me.

His hair was spiky and akin to mine, but a deep black. A blood red headband strapped across his forehead, I assumed to keep the hair from his eyes when he fired. He was pale, as everyone else in the slums usually was, and very slender. Two Revolvers hung from a belt, half concealed by his large, black cloak. A tall rifle was latched to a shoulder strap across his back. It was a massive thing, with a ridiculously long barrel. Large bullets, I'd guess at least five inches in length, rested in loops through his belt. Something told me this guys was remorseless in his duties for the team, and exceedingly efficient in the same respect.

We moved silently down the dark alley between the labs. Watchtower lights shifted uncomfortably close as we rounded the corner. Quick like squirrels we scaled the fire escape onto the roof of the building.

From this secluded spot I began observing the surrounding defenses. Reaching out with my mind, I scanned for nearby guards, checking first the two gates, and then as far into the yards as I could

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