Angels with Newfound Hope
Act 1 Chapter 27: Fireworks
Festival grounds - Day 14, 8:30PM
"Where is he? You'd think he wouldn't be late for something like this" Alex found himself amongst an astonishing amount of dragons, waiting for someone in particular. He'd already won a couple of prizes from the clearly rigged claw machines they had scattered about. Bryce wasn't kidding when he said the place would be packed. So many people were bumping and slamming into each other by accident.
"Alex?!" Speak of the devil. The human peeked out from some vending machines he was hiding between and spotted his favorite cop. That was short lived, however, as someone yanked him up onto one of the booths.
"Shh! Keep it down or we'll both be in trouble." His own voice resonated within his eardrums. Only one person in this world could do that.
"Mongoose? What're you doing here?" Alex snapped back in a whisper.
"No time. Just take this and equip it." The concealed hispanic handed him an augment. The stick was unusually large in size, carrying an unlit tube where the PCB began.
"A resurrection augment..." He trailed off, giving it a scrutinous glare. "You took this from me?!" His suspicions were nullified when she took his hand.
"No time, Alex! Just put it in and drop down in the alley. The chief is looking for you." His companion shoved the augment in an empty slot and spun him toward a relatively dark passage below. Without only a shrug, he hopped back onto the softer ground.
"I thought that guy said he was here somewhere..." Bryce thought aloud. His search so far had turned up fruitless. That is, until someone vaulted over his back.
"Miss me?" A certain human wrapped an arm around his neck, sparking a much needed friendly mood.
"Maybe. Where'd you skip off to anyway? I thought I was going to have to start a search party." The dragon jabbed Alex in the ribs playfully.
"Ow. Nowhere. I was just giving some prizes I won away." The smaller male rubbed the spot, sure that elbow horn left a dent in his side.
"How sweet of you. Buttering me up already, eh?" The chief jabbed further. Their path guided them to yet another claw machine that caught some interest.
"See anything you like?" The brunette eyed the prizes as well, hoping for another gift or a souvenir. Bryce's attention seemed torn between a stuffed... thing, and a dragon that looked a lot like him.
"I'm thinking either of those." He pointed toward the two. One lie half buried under another prize. And the other... was stuck at the very edge: the dead zone. All Alex did was smile sinisterly.
"Leave it to me." He cracked his knuckles and slotted a coin in. The machine lit up with its claw going toward the center. Within seconds, he was going for the dragon, the claw snapping to a halt just inches from the edge.
"Didn't think so. You know these games are-"
"Oh hush, you. You'll see soon enough." The human rocked the joystick side to side, making the claw sway back and forth until he finally dropped it. Its trajectory veered heavily until it hit its mark. Right on the neck it fell, gripping loosely. The prize itself fell when the metal devil came back up: Perfect.
"Told you." Bryce snarked from his position at the other side. Even with that, the smaller male kept on smiling.
"You insult me." Alex watched as the claw ran right back out. His target was clear for takeoff in...
Five: It reached its destination.
Four: He swayed it into the dead zone again.
Three: Time slowed as they watched it fall.
Two: It seemed like it wasn't going to hit...
One: Just barely on the body, the claw clamped shut around it. Target secured! Bryce looked on in surprise as the plush made it all the way to the collection bin. Alex, however, was more worried with how it threatened to slip on its way. But once it was safe at the bottom...
"Yes! Who's the man?!" The brunette cheered as his favorite cop claimed the toy. it really did look so much like him aside from the colors.
"You're the man! How did you know how to do that?" The stocky dragon chirped, admiring the tiny thing.
"Loads of practice and an internet video." The human basked in his victory over the rigged claw game. It always felt so good to him when he came out on top.
"Ooh boy." Bryce chuckled, checking the time on a town clock. "Oh! We'd better get going soon before the fireworks start."
"Do they start soon?" Alex cocked a brow. It hadn't even been that long since they met up.
"Not at all. But we do need to get to the spot before they start." The officer hurried back to the entrance, leaving the smaller man no choice but to follow.
"Hey! Wait up a little at least! I can't run as fast!" He cried out, trying desperately to catch up...
Empty Lot - 8:57PM
The two barely made it to the spot mentioned, heaving breaths as they finally gave out. Alex collapsed atop Bryce as his legs became jelly. He'd only ever ran that hard when Chris was chasing him.
"Just... in time. Whoo, never ran... that hard in my life." The stocky reptile panted heavily. Not like the human on top of him helped anything.
"I know... God, I'm worn out..." Said male rolled off into the dirt. The stars above were so much nicer with an actual view. He swore the adjacent dragon wrapped an arm around him before a bottle of water invaded his vision.
"Where'd you get that?" The brunette questioned suspiciously. It wasn't every day someone pulled a water bottle out of thin air.
"The fun basket." Bryce pointed nonchalantly to a totally inconspicuous picnic basket laying to their left. Of course he planted one before rushing to the festival grounds.
"Fun basket?" Alex cocked a brow out of curiosity. Without a second thought, his hand wormed its way inside, pulling out what he thought to be a packet of fruit snacks. The poor human didn't even notice what he actually threw into his mouth until it was far too late. He gagged and spluttered out of disgust for the item of his ire: a rather large round latex sleeve.
"Bwaa ha haa! I can't believe you just did that! Oh, you should've seen the look on your face!" The chief managed through hysterical laughter.
"Really?! Why the fuck is a banana flavored c-" The smaller male was cut off suddenly by a multitude of explosions. One after another, brightly colored rockets lit up the sky like daytime. They hypnotized, no, enraptured the two completely.
Alex found himself absentmindedly slipping under his companion's arm. The larger pulled him closer as the show continued, both now enjoying the tender contact.
"I can immediately say I like this better than last time." Alex breathed through his half-buried position.
"Yeah. We should've went outside to begin with." Bryce uttered, still enraptured by the sheer beauty. His companion snuggled further into the warm scales. It wasn't long before a sudden realization struck like a freight train.
With how large of an event this was, and how everyone was watching the fireworks, now would be all too good an opportunity for Reza to escape. The village was basically deserted, and the fireworks could as a suppressor for gunfire. The bastard had all the security he needed. God only knew if he'd fixed the portal too and took out Sebastian along with it.
"Bryce, we need to go. Now." Alex sprang back up. He checked his pistol. Still some ammo inside: which was good, of course.
"What, you need to piss or something? And why so urgent? You can use-"
"I know where Reza is." The human cut his dragon off, re-holstering the weapon.
"What do you even mean? Are you sure?!" The chief pulled himself up as well. It was clear something was awry now.
"I'd bet my life on it." The vigilante uttered in a tone so serious, it couldn't be ignored.
"Then we have no time to lose!" The two bolted for the portal with human leading...
Portal Hill - 9:06PM
Minutes later, they arrived. Alex inspected the portal itself whilst Bryce took the surrounding area. He exhaled a huge sigh of relief at it not having been used recently, but still worried that it was fixed.
'Dammit. Was this that woman's doing?' He thought quietly. That is, until his favorite officer called him over.
"Dammit. Alex, come over here." The smaller male stepped over to where he was guided. There lay Sebastian: lifeless with two bullet wounds. One pierced right where his jugular was. "Still warm. Fucking bastard." The larger cursed spitefully.
"He hasn't used the portal yet at least. But it looks like he fixed it." The man growled. His level of tolerance for that murderer had just hit a new low.
"Then he still has to be close. But what's so important that he won't leave without it?" Bryce thought aloud.
"The lab generators. We better get in there quick." Alex tried to rush over, but was stopped dead.
"Not without a plan. Here's my suggestion. We do like the farmhouse: You go first and I follow. If you catch him, maybe you can talk him down. If not, he'll still have to go through me." The officer proposed.
"Good plan, but you forgot something: his gun. A sturdy frame won't easily stop a speeding bullet." The brunette pointed out the one fatal flaw.
"We have thick hides." Bryce fired back.
"And those things can kill animals bigger than you and with thicker hides. I still have a bit of ammo left. Maybe I can provide cover fire for you." Alex counter-proposed. It seemed worth a shot at least.
"Fine. But don't aim anywhere lethal. We need him alive." The dragon ordered, to which his human nodded coldly.
"Let's go then." With that, they made a beeline for the lab's entrance...
Cover was minimal as the pair navigated a long hallway. It was thankfully still illuminated as it should be. Those generators were likely still powering the portal, after all. Bryce ducked into an open doorway as one of the doors opened. And wouldn't you know it; out stepped Reza with a cardboard box in hand. He set it down the moment he spotted Alex and took a step back.
"Alex? What're you doing here? I've needed to get in touch for a while now, but couldn't with those damned dragons tailing you. But that'll have to wait. We have everything we need now that you're here. Now come and help me with this so we can leave." The hispanic ordered, slightly surprised his companion was even present.
"No. Not until you answer a few questions." The brunette's cold glare razed his skin, barely fazing him.
"Oh. You want to talk now? Sure, we likely still have a few hours if we want. No one's going to bug us here. We could even get the backup once we send this over." Reza patted the box the generator was in for emphasis.
"Then why don't we start. When did you find out about the comet? Why didn't you inform me of the threat of eradication looming right over our heads?" The larger man's voice was just as chilling, resembling that of a hardened marine.
"That was actually what I wanted to talk with you about at the portal. You?" The smaller deadpanned. It seemed he still didn't know the threat in front of him.
"Recently. I noticed the red star that moves every night. Next question. You killed them, didn't you?" Alex was not here to play games. His recording phone was clear evidence of that.
"No shit, sherlock. What finally drilled that into your thick skull?" Reza's condescending voice was borderline insufferable. The only reason for Alex bearing through it was to get him locked up.
"Why?" Was all the brunette said. His icy voice hopefully had some effect.
"Do you seriously need me to spell it out? Waiting isn't an option anymore. It would've taken god knows how long, and I don't intend on staying a second later than necessary. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to even get some of those generators either. Those dragons don't go down easy. But who gives a damn if they got the ones I stole back? All we need is this one. The rest don't even matter anymore!" The smaller male smiled almost maniacally, and it pissed the larger two off to no degree.
"Murderer. I'll see to it that you are personally wiped off this planet by me!" The paler of the two snapped.
"And then what, Alex?! You let our city be wiped out while you play Russian Roulette with their lives?! What happens when your plan doesn't even work?! Oh, that's right, you die like the rest of them!" Reza fired back. Maybe now they were getting somewhere.
"I'm not letting you kill them!" The larger man snarled, his face starting to resemble a pit bull.
"They won't go extinct anytime soon, if that's what you're so worried about. I paid the hatchery another visit. And with some persuasion, we'll have plenty of reasons to keep them around. Bodyguards, Border Patrol, Weapons, even pets with the right... changes. It won't be as bad as you think." The thought of enslavement both shocked and disgusted Bryce as he kept listening from his cover. It seemed Alex had the same idea too.
"I'm not abandoning them in their time of need." Said human glowered, finally having cooled back down.
"Get your fucking priorities straight, Alex!" The darker finally snapped, his scream echoing through the hall.
"Get your fucking priorities straight, Reza! You're not killing off an entire planet for the opportunity to save just one damned city!" The brunette shouted back. His own volume actually managed to cause some minor ringing in his ears.
"Who cares about their god-"
"Finish that sentence, and I'll make sure you never speak again. I'm taking that generator back whether you like it or not." Alex cut him off in the nick of time.
"Oh, I see how it is. They told you they need this to stop the comet, and now you've become their psychotic lackey! Don't tell me you actually drank the punch they poured. We both know; or should've known that they have just as much of a vested interest in this as we do! Just as you and I used to! You think they wouldn't do the same if they were in our shoes?!" Reza snapped back to reality. His hand trembled right on the waistband of his pants: right where the revolver was.
"Their entire world is on the line here, and you completely refuse to listen to reason. Typical Reza!" The paler jabbed his index finger at his adversary.
"They live in perfect harmony with their perfect clean energy source and no reason for conflict and blah, blah, blah! We had that too and you know damn well what happened! This is such a stupid trope. random person meets weird natives, learns their-"
"How about you quit reciting the plot of Avatar and get to the point." Alex cut him off once again, pissing the already enraged hispanic off more.
"You want your fucking point?! Fine! Here it is! I. Don't. Care. About. Them! Unlike you, I was actually trying to save our asses!" Reza screamed almost incoherently. The vigilante confronting him swore he ended up with minor tinnitus just from sheer volume.
"At whatever cost!" The angered brunette shouted right back.
"We have the solution right here, and you want to get philosophical now?! We deserve this, Alex! They've had it for god knows how long! This is our time now! Else I wouldn't have spent the last two weeks doing exactly what you didn't! We don't live in this fantasy of yours where everything has a perfect solution! You of all people should know that, and yet you stand here! And I think I know why now. You got too used to all the creature comforts here, didn't you? You wouldn't give a damn if everyone back home dies anymore! As long as you can sit your sorry ass right here and discard everything and everyone we've worked so hard to save! Maybe it's because you don't have a life back home. I heard what happened to your family after the solar flare hit." The darker ranted like a madman on steroids. And yet, the one thing Alex took away was the last part.
"I don't know what you just smoked there. My mom and brother are doing just fine with me in Onyx." The taller corrected coolly.
"Onyx? Now look who's high! There's no 'Onyx' back home, period." A seething 5'11" Reza Izquierdo shot back.
"I guess you forgot, then. You used to live in Freeman before moving to the west coast. You and I have been classmates since fifth grade. I remember the day you moved to pursue acting in that stuck-up town. You gave the most horrible, slap-in-the-face goodbye to anyone who thought of you as a friend. That was your life." Alex spat, done and disgusted with what his former partner had become. Reza's eye twitched visibly whilst a smile spread across his face. He just stood there trembling for a short moment before maniacal cackling erupted from him.
"I can't believe it! You're actually this diluted right now! You think you can lecture me on my life when you don't even know shit! Oh, listening to you was fun and all, but the grownups must get back to work now. Just face it Alex: you can't do shit, even with your gun!" The shorter finally lost it. He went to pick up the generator again when Bryce finally emerged from the minimal shadows...