Plant Chapter, Enter Fortune

The BC connecting bridge was a T-shape, rotated to the left. Strut B was to the south of Strut C, with the Shell One Core to the northeast of Strut B, and southeast of Strut C. The connecting bridge was a simple design: one walkway connecting Struts B and C, and another bridge branching off in the middle, connecting the Shell One Core.

Raiden walked through the door to the BC connecting bridge with his new SOCOM drawn. He got into a position that kept him hidden in the shadows, but still had a view of the action taking place on the connecting bridge. Directly in front of him, Raiden saw two Navy SEALs facing the Shell One Core. The one furthest from Raiden was prone, and the one closer was crouched. They were both firing their M4s at a black woman with blond hair. She wore a black, shiny, form-fitting leotard with brown combat boots. She also donned a black tenchcoat draped around her shoulders, but her arms weren't in the sleeves. What was most eye-catching about the woman, however, was what she held in her right hand: a large, gunmetal grey railgun, easily larger than the young woman herself. It would have been impossible for her to carry the cumbersome weapon if it weren't for the strong strap connected to both end of the devastating weapon that was strung over her left shoulder. The attractive woman simply stood in behind another figure, in a white oxford shirt and black slacks, who was laying unconscious on the bridge. A black metal briefcase with half a pair of handcuffs attached to the handle was laying on the bridge next to the aged man. Seagulls circled above the connecting bridge.

The two SEALs continuously fired at the black woman, but she stood out in the open, not moving. With their experience, the range of their target, and their weapons, the elite soldiers should have easily been able to eliminate the target. But they couldn't. The crouched SEAL reloaded his rifle and continued his volley of lead. The woman stepped forward and stopped at the body in front of her. The SEALs fired their weapons again, and their bullets flew through the air towards the woman, but as the rounds reached about six feet in front of the woman, they diverged from their previous paths and curved almost three feet around the woman's body. Raiden saw the bullets hit the walls behind the woman, and thought out loud, "What the hell is that!" The woman, growing tired of the game, spoke to herself.

"Come, put me out of my misery." The crouched SEAL leaned over to his partner and spoke.

"This is impossible! Nothing will hit her!"

"Is she the one they call Fortune?" asked the prone SEAL.

Vamp stepped out of the Shell One Core door behind Fortune and stepped casually to Fortune, stopping just in front of her, and to her left. He reached down to pick up the unconscious man and slung him over his left shoulder. He then reached down with his right hand and picked up the briefcase. Vamp began to walk back to the Shell One Core, but halted beside Fortune.

"Queen," he said, addressing Fortune. She nodded, and Vamp continued into the Shell One Core. The prone SEAL looked at the other one, and spoke to him.

"Don't let them take the President!" He said, referring to the unconscious man. The crouched SEAL looked to the Strut C end of the connecting bridge and saw three running SEALs, led by a soldier with an M203 grenade launcher attached to his M4. The SEALs stopped at the branch of the Shell One Core part of the connecting bridge. The lead SEAL aimed his M4 at Fortune, and warned the others.

"Ready grenades!" The soldier moved his left hand from under the barrel of the M4 to the magazine, and placed his index finger on the M203 trigger. He fired, and the grenade was right on target. Instead of detonating on impact, however, it landed at the feet of Fortune and sizzled. "A dud?" exclaimed the SEAL who fired the explosive. The trio of soldiers began to move down the connecting bridge, toward Fortune.

The crouching SEAL near Raiden stood up, tapped the prone SEAL, and hopped over him to join the other SEALs advancing on Fortune. The prone SEAL stood up and did the same. Three more SEALs appeared from Strut C to make a total of eight soldiers. The three SEALs moving toward Fortune did so slowly and carefully. All eight of the soldiers kept their weapons trained on Fortune the entire time. Fortune kicked the M203 grenade slightly, and it rolled a few inches.

"Today is another bad day…" Fortune said as her immense railgun's barrel extended a foot, and blue energy could be seen crackling from one side of the barrel to the other. "Is there anyone here that can give me happiness?" Fortune said too quietly for the soldiers to have heard her. Fortune brought the railgun to her shoulder, and peered into the small scope on the railgun. At this point, blue energy was surging all around the railgun's barrel. The SEALs shrieked in terror at the sight of the weapon being pointed at them. Fortune pulled the trigger. Blinding, blue energy was launched at the SEALs. It hit the connecting bridge, and completely destroyed the SEALs, and the connecting bridge. The majority of the Shell One Core's portion of the connecting bridge was completely decimated, sending the three SEALs soaring along with chunks of the lightweight bridge. The blast even knocked the four SEALs on the BC Struts' walkway over the edge of the catwalk, into the sea so far below. One of the three advancing SEALs was thrown in front of Fortune, on part of the catwalk that was still partially intact.

Content with her work, Fortune let go of her railgun, letting the strap over her shoulder carry the brunt of the weight. Fortune looked down at the SEAL on lying on the bridge in front of her. The portion of the bridge that he was lying on began to give way, and bend vertically at the feet of Fortune. The SEAL tried to hold onto the unharmed part of the bridge, but he couldn't get a grip. The portion of the catwalk he was on kept bending. He pleaded with Fortune with his eyes, but Fortune remained stoic, although she kept her gaze on him. The ruined section broke away from the rest of the structurally-sound bridge, and the SEAL screamed as he plummeted to his watery death.

Fortune stood still. The part of the BC connecting bridge that joined with the Shell One Core was now completely destroyed; there was no way of getting across it in its current state. A dead, smoking seagull fell next to Fortune and twitched. Other seagulls began to fall from the sky, all burnt from Fortune's railgun.

"I'm so sorry, my beauties," Fortune apologized to the creatures, "I'll see you again someday." Fortune turned around, and headed back inside the Shell One Core. Raiden crouched and contacted the Colonel via Codec.

"Colonel, SEAL Team 10's Bravo team was wiped out!" Raiden informed Campbel.

"I see," the Colonel said, without showing much concern.

"What happened to the Black Hawk helicopters the SEALs used to infiltrate?"

"Both of them are at the bottom of the harbor. Looks like your new hosts have a Harrier-2."

"A Harrier! What is this?" Raiden exclaimed.

"Clam down," Campbell said, " It just means they anticipated the attack."

"What?"

"Besides," the Colonel ignored Raiden's inquiry, "since the SEALs drew their fire, your infiltration went off without a hitch. On top of that, we know their defensive capabilities."

"Are you saying that this was all a feint?"

"Raiden, get a hold of yourself. The entire mission is in your hands now, do you understand?"

"But—"

"There isn't time for questions," the Colonel cut Raiden off, "They could decide to retaliate for that failed assault."

"You mean the hostages?" Raiden asked, concerned.

"They could be in danger, yes. But we need to consider the possibility that they'll blow the whole Shell. If that toxic spill does take place, it'll devastate not only the harbor, but poison the coastline for generations. Raiden, we've had to adjust the mission objectives. The priority is now on removing those C4s that the terrorists wired over the Big Shell. The president can wait, but this can't."

"Colonel, you know I'm no bomb disposal expert," Raiden stated.

"That's not a problem – the Bravo team brought an explosives pro in with them. He was supposed to stand by on Strut C according to their mission plan. You should find him there."

"Is this according to simulation, too?" Raiden said, scornfully.

"What are you talking about? Get to Strut C and find him!"

"Understood. But I need to ask you something before I go."

"Make it quick."

"Who are they – Dead Cell, I mean? They couldn't hit her, no matter how hard they tried…And that vampire, too…It's like…It's like being in a nightmare you can't wake up from!"

"Jack, snap out of it!" Rose cut in.

"And you, Rose…I can't believe you're on this mission. I keep thinking I'll wake up…"

"Raiden, this is real. And that's why you won't wale up," Campbell said.

"But nothing seems real!" Raiden said.

"I've made up my mind to stay with you. Whether this is real or a bad dream, I'll keep watching you, till it's over," Rose reassured Raiden.

"Thank you, Rose. And I won't let you be just a dream," Raiden said to Rose.

"Are you two done? Raiden, you're needed on Strut C," Campbell brought Raiden's attention back to the mission.