A/N: Alright! Took me a while to get this up, but... IT'S LONG! OKAY? God! XD Anyway, here it is! Read on, friends!
Three Renegades: Chapter 1: Three Renegades
Transferring Data...
"Come on, come on... Transfer faster, come on!"
First Lieutenant Peach was never known for her patience. She stood in front of the last computer in the R&D room, her wristband computer plugged in and receiving all the information it held. She hissed at it quietly, as not to reveal her position, knowing she barely had enough time to pull this off and escape. The base was swarming with troops, and with her only armed with a stolen pistol, things would get pretty bleak if she was found again.
Transfer Complete.
"Thank God!" She ripped her arm and the cable away, and upon that hurried movement, the alarm was set off, blaring loud enough to be heard in a 10-mile radius.
"Shit!" Peach cursed and turned on her heel to search for a place to hide. Just before she reached one of the exits, however, a hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her back.
"Where you going, little lady?"
Highly annoyed, Peach turned to face a tall man in the dark green Gulan uniform, his eyes hidden by a tight helmet. His badge had a single word etched on it: Falcon.
"Hmm?" he asked again, a soft, disturbing smile on his face. "Thought you could get away, huh, little bitch?" He chuckled and reached down with his other hand, squeezing her butt cheek.
"Ugh! Let go!" Angered by his harassment, she swung her free fist, only to have him catch it with little effort.
"Ooh, cat's got claws, reow..." he drawled sickly, holding on tighter as she struggled to escape his grasp.
"Let go, you mother-f...!" She stopped short when she heard shouts and gunshots not too far away, in another hallway.
Falcon noticed it too. "Oh, that. Hehe... Looks like your friends sent in a rescue party. My units are taking care of them, though, so you don't have to worry about leaving yet."
Peach cringed as the last gunshot left things silent in the background once more. She turned back to the demented grin on this sick man's face, suggesting non-cleanliness. Peach shuddered.
He chuckled softly, pulling her in, letting his hot breath caress her face. "Now, how 'bout you and I..."
But thankfully he never finished that remark, as a dot of red shone on his dark visor, followed by a young, male, serious voice.
"Get your mitts off her, slimeball."
Falcon paused before the grin slowly returned and he turned to the target light's source. There in the opposite doorway stood three young males, obviously not Gulan soldiers. The one who had spoken was slightly shorter than the other two (and most likely younger), with untamed, vibrant red hair and bright, stern eyes of blue. His black leather was worn loose and baggy, arms willingly exposed by a sleeveless jacket. He held the laser-guided pistol stiffly in his hand, and a Wo Dao Japanese sword was strapped to his belt. His youthful face reflected disgust and anger.
To the redhead's right was a blue-haired man, only a couple years elder. His bangs fell carelessly into his crystal blue eyes that bore resemblance to the youth's. However, his black leather was secured, sans the back of his trenchcoat. In his hands, he held a staff made of some kind of light, yet strong metal, just in case Falcon tried anything. His handsome face showed his cautious and suspicious nature.
Finally, to the left was an odd-looking blonde, with pointed ears and mask-smooth features that didn't seem humanly natural. A long black hat covered all but his bangs, which nearly covered his eyes, sapphires that were devoid of any and all feeling; the eyes of an assassin. His clothing was tight, his gloved hands resting on the hilts of the two Sabers hanging at his hip. His otherworldly face reflected tense indifference.
Peach stared at these three for a moment. She knew they were Renegade agents, but she couldn't recognize them. Then again, rarely did she associate with officers lower than herself. But if her superiors sent in just three units, they were either suicidal or really good.
"Hey, are you deaf? Let her go!" the redhead demanded, cocking the pistol as a warning.
That cocky grin did not waver on his cold face, but he did not follow his orders, still holding onto Peach as his other hand reached for his belt. "So, they sent you punks in... They've told me about your prowess as killing agents..."
What followed was a swift movement where Falcon spun around to the back of Peach, holding a shiny silver handgun to her throat, to which she instantly froze in horror. The redhead flinched, withdrawing his pistol slightly. The cobalt took a jumpy step forward, and the blonde pulled one of his swords out halfway.
Falcon chuckled at this reaction. "...So let's see you fight with your officer at gunpoint!"
He stepped to the back wall, tugging a disgruntled Peach with him, and pressed a button on the wall. Instantly, the other two walls opened up, and out came several units of Gulan soldiers, armed with various guns and blades. They blocked all exits and assumed defensive battle stances.
The redhead looked between his two compadres, none of them fazed by the odds laid before them. They all nodded to each other, exchanging silent messages only they could understand. And before any one of the Gulan could act, the redhead re-aimed and shot once, and the gun flew out of Falcon's hand and landed in the opposite side of the room with a clank. All of which happened in one second. Falcon growled, eyeing the redhead spitefully, then shoved Peach to the ground and made a beeline for his gun.
And at that point, all Hell broke loose. Several Gulan surrounded the cobalt, raising their guns. But before they could unleash any lead, he quickly unarmed them with only a couple spins and thrusts of his staff. With amazing reflexes and control, he pivoted around several times and knocked his foes around with deadly force to the neck, chest, and skull, killing several of them instantly with a single blow of the incredibly strong metal. And no matter how many came from all directions, he continued his spinning motions and took on entire groups at a time.
The blonde, elfin being was certainly holding his own as the Gulan masters of the blade approached him. It took incredible skill to wield two dangerously sharp Sabers at once, and he was surely worthy of the complicated style of combat. He blocked all advances, even the ones from behind (his enhanced hearing caught the sounds of metal slicing the air), and his swords moved in a blur as he slashed one defenseless Gulan after the other. But with each scream, each death, his stiff face never wavered, and he showed no signs of fatigue no matter how many kept coming. He continued to slay his opponents as if that was the one thing he was created to do.
As Falcon snatched up his pistol, the redhead showed no fear as he slipped his gun into its holster and unsheathed his thin sword, tainted red from the previous battle in the halls. He gave Falcon a stern glare until the Gulan official gave out a war cry and unleashed every bullet that was inside. Yet the redhead moved blindly fast, blocking every single lead pellet with his blade as sparks flew the ricochet. But his legs moved at a different tempo than his upper body, taking slow steps forward to get close to Falcon. And before he could realize this, Falcon's gun clicked, out of ammunition. He cringed as the redhead stood right in front of him, holding his sword casually below his waist.
"Well... I'd say you're shit outta luck."
The blonde was now confronting a highly-skilled Gulan that blocked every attempt at a slash of thrust. He soon grew cocky and got an attack in, slicing a long cut across the blonde's cheek. Both froze, the Gulan caught by surprise by the sudden shocked look on the youth's face. He slowly brought his hand up to draw his fingers across his cheek, then drew back to glance upon the crimson blood gleaming on his fingertips. He then looked up at the Gulan, and a vicious scowl crossed his face. He thrust a Saber with enough strength to knock the sword out of the man's hand, then spun his blades in humanly impossible, swift movements, slashing into his target nearly infinite times. When he was finished and withdrew, the Gulan stood there for a second, then literally fell to pieces in a bloody pile. The blonde took this with satisfaction as he spun around to parry another Gulan and run him through.
The assault number on the cobalt dwindled, and he soon found the opening to approach the woman sitting against the wall, trying not to get in the crossfire of any brawls. She drew back a little when he came close, but he held his staff against his shoulder, showing he meant no harm.
"Are you the First Lieutenant?" he asked in a young, crisp voice.
Peach blinked. "Y-yeah."
"Did you get all the info?"
She nodded.
"Alright, then. We'll take care of this, then get..."
"Look out!" she shrieked, pointing behind him. Without him turning his eyes away from her, he gripped the staff and thrust it behind him. There was a gurgle, and Peach stared on in horror as the staff's end had driven itself into the Gulan's skull through the eye. The cobalt pulled it back and looked over the bloody tip in disgust, not noticing the dead man collapse behind him or the dumbstruck look on Peach's face.
"Dammit... I just had it cleaned, too..."
Suddenly, a piercing bang and a resounding CLANG! halted everything. The last Gulan foot soldier that was engaging the blonde halted in his movements to glance over to where the sound came from. The elfish being took this opportunity to lop the man's head off, then turned himself once he knew the rest of the room was free of anymore distractions.
Falcon had a smoking gun, one he must've pulled again from his belt. He kept it there as he stared at the evident bullet hole in the redhead's pants, but underneath was sleek metal that the bullet had bounced off. It now rolled around on the floor, dented and useless.
The redhead looked calm as he gave Falcon a smirk. "Huh. Trying to blow out my kneecaps before you go for the final blow. Man, that's cold."
Falcon then blanched in horror as the youth stuck him like a pig, the tip of the bloody blade sticking out of his back. He stared at the sword in his stomach for a moment, then dragged his gaze back up to the tense redhead. Then he began to chuckle. Then laugh. Then guffaw. Angered by this, the redhead twisted the blade, to which Falcon cringed deeply, but only continued his mad laughter. The youth snorted in disgust as he swiftly pulled the blade out and watched Falcon sink to the ground, ending his life with a pitiful gurgle.
The redhead sighed, sheathing his bloody sword. Ignoring all the dead bodies on the floor, he turned towards Peach and the cobalt who bore striking resemblance to him. "She alright?"
"Yeah," he answered, helping Peach to her shaky feet. The blonde only sheathed his Sabers and nodded in response.
"Right, then. Let's get the hell out of here."
"Wait," the blonde spoke in a voice that sounded stale, like it wasn't used much. His two companions followed his command as he stepped over Gulan carcasses and knelt beside Falcon, blue eyes tense as he searched the corpse. Now, with the dreaded silence, the other three could hear what he heard once he pulled off the man's helmet: soft rhythmic beeping. He moved the man's head to examine the back of his neck and found the source of the noise. His brows furrowed.
"A Death Bomb."
The cobalt flinched. "No way!"
"What kind of a retard has a Death Bomb for their own base?" the redhead exclaimed.
Peach stood there, oblivious to the situation at hand. "Wait, what's the hell's a Dea..."
"Go! We gotta get outta here! Move!" the cobalt commanded, and the four were soon running down the hallways to escape the danger they were in as several alarm systems were set off at once.
"What's a Death Bomb?" Peach hollered over all the loud noise.
"It's a mechanism... placed... on a carbon-based life form," the cobalt answered through his puffs of breath. "When the host dies... and the life readings disappear... the detonator's set off... to blow the whole place apart!"
Learning this, Peach expedited her pace, now knowing the deep trouble they were in. All the while, the redhead continuously cursed himself for bringing this upon them.
Dammit... There I go, acting before I think again... The Colonel's really gonna chew me out for this one...
----------
The forests of Rocky Hills were as of now quiet, but the Lieutenant Colonel knew better. He stood just out of range of the Gulan base's radars, watching the road from the side for any signs of his Renegade agents. He had decided that his regular bright uniform was not suitable for the occasion, instead wearing regular agent attire that allowed him to blend into the foliage that much easier. He gripped his shotgun tighter, just in case, his blue eyes attentive to the road, the wind flapping through his rugged brown hair, and his lips pursing underneath his bushy mustache.
Hope the boys are alright...
Just then, he heard the rev of a jeep's engine, and he stepped out onto the road once the vehicle came into view. Knowing his agents were inside, he waved and called out continuously, "Hey! Over here!"
"Huh?" The redhead, behind the wheel, peered through the windshield, then leaned forward, glancing past the cobalt in the middle and at the blonde. "Hey, pick up the Lieutenant Colonel for us, will ya?"
"Right." The blonde took it as an order and climbed out the window, leaning dangerously above the road rolling past. Slightly confused, the man stood there on the side of the road, and before he could react, the blonde grabbed him under the arms and plucked him off the dusty ground. The Lieutenant Colonel cried out in surprise as he was held by strong arms above the road, with the vehicle probably going at the very least a hundred miles per hour.
"WAH! WHAT'S THE RUSH?" he hollered.
"No time! Get in!" the cobalt shouted in response.
As he took a solid grip on the back window rim, both him and the blonde cringed as a round of bullets ricocheted off the side of the truck.
"Get in, get in, get in!" The blonde shoved him through the window forcefully, and he landed in the back seat with a flop. He quickly adjusted himself and let out an exhausted sigh, though he knew it wasn't over yet.
"Mario!" He glanced up at his name to see First Lieutenant Peach sitting right beside him. He smiled at seeing her face.
"Hey."
The blonde slipped back in, dodging more fire. "We've got a caravan filled with the rest of the Gulan following us."
"Terrific," the redhead grumbled, addressing the cobalt. "Hey, take care of them, sureshot."
"Yeah, sure." He reached down below the seat and pulled out a long shotgun, then opened a hatch in the roof and climbed up onto the roof of the jeep. Sure enough, there was a van trailing a few yards behind them, the Gulan poking out in several places, determined to bring down the intruders. The cobalt aimed, shot, and dodged all bullets alike as the car swerved down the road. After almost losing his balance, he shouted down below, "Hey! Keep it steady!"
"Sorry!" the redhead responded, swerving again.
"...Wait, when'd you get a license?" Mario asked, fearing the answer.
"What license?"
Yep...
"Argh!" the cobalt cried out as a shot knocked the shotgun out of his hands, and it landed on the ground, out of action. "Stupid fuckers!"
"Get back in, I'll give it a shot." Mario hefted his own gun, leaned out his side window, and delivered a few rounds, taking out a few Gulan himself. That is, until...
"Mario!"
"What?" He turned towards the voice to face the barrel of a missile launcher.
"WHOA!" He ducked just as the blonde fired a missile right past his head. It slammed into the engine of the Gulan van, setting off a massive explosion that instantly destroyed that danger.
"Oh, nice!" Mario commented once the two had slipped back inside. "...So... what's with the rush?"
He was answered by a series of explosions far off behind them with enough force to rock the ground madly. The fiery balls of inferno from the exploding base rolled on like a wave, engulfing the forests feet by feet, mile by mile. The redhead reacted by stepping on the gas pedal as far down as it went, losing the majority of his control.
"Watch out!" Peach shrieked as the explosions sent the heavy frame of the Gulan caravan straight at them from behind. The redhead roared and rotated the wheel several times to his left, and the jeep slid across the weak soil, balancing on two wheels and threatening to topple over. The burnt caravan missed them by mere inches as the fires began to dwindle. The car skidded to a stop, landing firmly on all fours and facing the destruction that rocked the Rocky Hills reserve.
There was a genuine moment of silence as the group took their time to recover from one extremely close call. Wordlessly, Lieutenant Colonel Mario heaved open the side door with his foot, stepping onto dry white ash. He stared tiredly out into the land, with only burning timbers and twisted metal as proof that anything ever existed in this dusty wasteland. Hearing the others step out of the jeep, he heaved a sigh, not really caring, but asking anyway.
"Alright... What's you guys do?"
"I dunno," the cobalt answered, looking a tad pissed off. "Why don't you ask Mister Stab-Happy over there?"
"Hey! I didn't know he had a Death Bomb, alright? God!" the redhead protested like the stubborn teen he was.
Mario blinked. "They had a Death Bomb for their own base? That's kinda stupid."
"THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING!"
"But did you get all the data?"
"Yeah," Peach responded.
A grin came to Mario's face. "Then we've got one less Gulan base to worry about. Well done, boys."
The redhead gave the cobalt a cocky smirk that said "he's on MY side!" while the older one rolled his eyes at such immaturity. The blonde stood apart from this, almost a tinge of envy in his eyes.
"Oh, Roy."
The redhead's smirk disappeared as he turned to Mario. "Yeah?"
"Leave the driving to Marth now."
"W-what? Hey, I got us outta there!"
"You heard the Lieutenant Colonel, squirt." It was now the cobalt's turn to wear the smirk. "I'm driving us back."
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Roy writhed in frustration as Marth caught him in a headlock, Mario laughing at their antics. Peach chuckled herself until he eyes found the blonde, his face still unchanged from before. The strange youth's mysteriously angular gaze stared back at her, then lowered as if he wasn't worthy of her gaze. He only turned back to the truck and waited for the others.
A/N: BWAHAHA! At last I am done! Don't worry if you're confused about some parts, for all shall be revealed in the next couple chapters. I'm sure it's pretty obvious who the blonde is, but I won't use his name until chapter three. Next chapter will reveal Marth and Roy's past, and it's... (checks) THIRTEEN PAGES! GAH! X.X WHY? WHY DO I WRITE SUCH LONG CHAPTERS? AHHHHH... Okay, I'm done. XD Please review!