Waiting. Zero wasn't fond of such an activity. At Falcon Base, the moment the package reached the building, they tore through the AOD forces like confetti. Any other base in existence, and Viper would repeat their conquest. But when discussing Starlight Labs, the idea of entering merely for a quick slaughter was...unsatisfying. No, with the Ultimate Power, they would teach those sociopathic scientists true suffering.
For now, Zero perched upon the neighboring rooftop, sniper rifle in hand. Once he gave the signal, Phase and Diesel would steal the next sword under the cover of an explosion. Hopefully this was the last piece to the final temple.
He didn't dare tell the others, but his details on the Ultimate Power were...hazy at best. It started as a rumor he overheard, but the idea to pursue it didn't settle in until he was supposedly KIA. He knew it connected to the temples on this planet, and it needed alien weaponry to unlock. The rest though...well it's not exactly a topic you can read in a book.
They were in too deep to question it now though. Through the zoom on his rifle, he spotted their target. One radio call later and chaos erupted below. The panicked shrieks as those laboratory fools received a faceful of shrapnel was too rich. Serves them right. Before he could teleport down to meet Viper, his radio sounded off with Phase's brief, "East is nearby."
Oh? So West and his pathetic Shatter Squad wanted a proper meeting after that pitiful introduction last time? Does he honestly think a few days could match their level of power? Zero chuckled at the thought.
He swung his rifle around searching for, ah yes. Two covered jeeps, coming out of camouflage, into some rather gaudy colors he might add. He shot towards Shatter Squad's wheels as Viper sped off in their armored car. The yellow and green jeep did its best to swerve out of firing range as it pursued his men, while the orange jeep ducked into a nearby alley.
He looked around for the orange vehicle, knowing Phase and Diesel could handle themselves. The rooftop door swung open causing him to turn around, and he was hardly surprised at who would dare face him directly.
"Deja vu, old friend," a beat of silent staring and then Zero couldn't help but add, "Hoping to kill the same man twice? In the same way no less. Honestly Axel, I thought the years would make you more creative."
A shuddering breath and then, "It was an accident."
This was it then? One of the soldiers considered stronger than him, who got a place on the original Shatter Squad while he was left with false reassurances and increasing manipulations he'd lead some hypothetical secondary squad, turned to an uneasy mess?
It would be funny if it weren't so sad.
"You know, I had an opportunity to shoot you first all those years ago, but I let you go. Do you know why that was?"
"...We were friends."
"That's right. My friend who listened to all the reasons the AOD's divisions were corrupt, who saw it with his own damn eyes. And yet, when it was finally time to act, who did you choose 'friend'?"
"It wasn't like that…."
"See that's the crazy thing, because I distinctly remember you hunting me down and claiming you weren't a traitor. But the scar in my chest says otherwise," Zero tapped his weapon contemplatively, "I wonder how proud your family was of you then. I'm sure you received a nice shiny medal."
"Please stop."
Oh he could go on forever, wanted to even, but a grappling hook up the side of the building so rudely interrupted.
"Axel, the others need you, what's going on up here?"
The intruder was cyan colored, and vaguely familiar. Had the AOD hired outside help? Was version two of the Shatter Squad so much more feeble than the first?
"Stand down Carolina, I got this."
Carolina? Yes, he's sure he read about her somewhere. Wasn't she one of those Freelancers? Regardless, "No, stay and hear the yarns Axel's spinning. It's a wonderful display of denial."
"What is he talking about?'
While Carolina was momentarily distracted questioning Axel, Zero looked back behind him and bamfed onto the orange car below. The vehicle swerved harshly, attempting to knock him off. Above, he heard a shout before Carolina grabbed Axel and hooked back in his direction. A definite nuisance, but Zero didn't need to win this fight, he needed to join up with his team and escape. He plunged his sword into the roof to increase his grip on the car, as the two landed next to him. Axel slid down slightly upon his release, leaving Carolina to attack first.
He kicked at her, expecting hand-to-hand, before her Humbler Stun Device made contact. One painful zap later and he grabbed his sword again, cursing the lack of balance as he came closer to falling off.
"Maybe drive less crazily?" Axel suggested to West below them.
"No time," he argued.
He parried Carolina for a few hits before Axel shakily attempted to punch him. No, this is not how his plans would end. He spotted the other two cars in the distance ahead of them. After another shock, he drove his sword down once more, this time aiming to create a solid hole through the jeep. He quickly raised it, chucked a grenade through, and teleported in the direction of the vehicles ahead.
He radioed into Viper to drop back a few feet, glancing briefly at the four escaping soldiers behind him as their jeep burst into flames. He could hear a black and yellow soldier he marginally recognized (another Freelancer?) complain about his hatred of cars after the blast.
Plans were easy when discussed, even if the topic was uncomfortable. It was the execution that tended to backfire. Even before Shatter Squad arrived, Phase squirmed restlessly in the passenger seat beside Diesel. Those awful letters advertising Starlight Laboratory, pretending it was some friendly open building, when it was truly a living hell.
But no no no, she couldn't dissociate, not now. Later, in whatever hole Zero found for them next she could tune out the world, but not here. If she blacked out and woke up back in a medical cage, well, she didn't think she'd last for another rescue.
Grounding exercises, sensing her breath and the armor around her. Hearing Diesel's morbid jokes only he found particularly funny. Tracing her knife and wishing she could feel the sharpness.
She was glad when the bomb finally exploded, wanted to equip this damn alien blade and skedaddle, when she felt the familiar pull. An internal compass pointed forever East.
Shatter Squad chased them, rammed them. Zero stopped covering them from above and she feared the worst. But they couldn't let another artifact get away.
The blue girl let down the windows to attempt shooting through their's. An opportunity. A quick knife throw and bamf! She hijacked their car with the blade to the driver (Raymond?'s) throat.
Raymond tried to keep his hands on the wheel as the blue one worked on disarming her. "Goddamnit East, help me!," the girl urged.
East looked at Phase, as if objectively observing the situation, but Phase knew the truth. She used her free hand to motion a 'c'mon'. A false taunt, but the others wouldn't know the difference.
Her alter hesitated a moment more before lightly slugging at her along with the opposition. When Phase swiped her knife at her main opponent instead, East 'accidentally' missed a strike and pushed Raymond's chair. He cried out with a "Hey, be careful!"
Before the fight could progress further, she heard her radio echo with orders to drop back. The follow-up explosion provided a nice distraction as Raymond slammed down the brakes, jolting her foe away from her. Phase glanced forward at Diesel who she knew had every intention of plowing through them to return to Zero.
With a final kick knocking East out of the vehicle, she switched her gaze to Zero. The other half of the Shatter Squad shot at him, approaching directly from the rubble. She felt a gun pointed at her side, but she already had her next destination ready.
Phase didn't normally teleport using people, but this was a special case. West flinched as the blade struck his shoulder before she appeared beside him, startling his teammates. She could hear the two younger soldiers evacuate from their smaller car before Diesel crushed it, followed by a distraught, "Aww man, do you think Tiny has a warranty on those parts from the AOD?"
Of course the reason Phase didn't teleport using people was it left you horribly open. Or at least it would, if Shatter Squad was the least bit competent. West, the absolute jackass, stood in front of her like a fucking martyr despite his bleeding arm. This of course led to traitorous accusations by the younger blue girl (One apparently), while Raymond looked back and forth between Phase and East in wonder. Axel acted like he would rather be anywhere else, and avoided looking directly at anyone.
For a minute, Phase honestly thought she and Zero could teleport back into the armored car and leave before anyone got their shit together. Unfortunately, the remaining two soldiers knew how to stay professional.
"Argue later, we need to stop them," was all the cyan one commanded as she and her steel-colored partner hooked on top of the truck to retrieve the stolen artifact. Diesel teleported up to meet them as gunfire erupted.
One aimed her own pistol to help, but Zero snatched it from her with a cocky, "Lose something?". Axel finally snapped to attention and, along with Raymond, the two of them shot off their Magnums towards her commander.
West motioned to help, but East disarmed him with her burst step, and of course the loser pitifully stared at her through his helmet hoping she'd give it back willingly. Satisfied with her headmate's work, Phase aimed to close the gap between her and Zero before realizing he...didn't need any help. The younger ones were far less trained than him, and there was pure malice in each hit towards Axel.
No, who needed help was Diesel. His attempts to knock off the competition proved fruitless as their armor's Grav Boots stuck to the surface. It's clear he wanted to use his rocket launcher, but they were too close and he couldn't abandon the mission. Instead, he'd resorted to hacking at them with his ax-like key, but he remained overwhelmed.
Phase threw her knife towards the truck and attempted to stab the guy upon entry. He dodged, but the girl changed her aim to Phase as well. Feeling a bit protective, hm? She could work with that. She grabbed the guy and ignored his blows to escape as she teleported back down, away from the rest of the action. The sharp "Dammit!" told her she made the right choice.
The sharp pain from the bullet she received in her leg made her let go, but she'd done enough. Given the opportunity, Diesel launched his rocket launcher with a "Heads up" over their radios. She saw the last-minute glow from Zero's teleport as the rocket slammed into half of Shatter Squad.
All the three of them had to do now was jump in the truck and leave, while the other half frantically checked on their teammates. It was too easy, so of course West desperately grabbed his gun from East to stop them, and Diesel heartlessly shot him in the chest before she could object.
