The Frontier Spark
Episode 2: Ramble on
-CASTLE WULFENBACH-
Thomas was currently busy running for his freedom from the pursuing guards aboard the city sized airship. He was breathing hard and felt like he'd been running forever to escape. He knew he couldn't do this forever despite his elite training. He'd burn out eventually from fatigue and drop, not that it would be anytime soon. There was no way VEX would be able to help in such a confined space even if doctor Vahlen did manage to reopen a portal. But then who's to say these guys wouldn't try to force their own way through the portal if it reopened in the same spot. But he did know if they tried, a fully armed Vanguard class titan would be waiting to bring the pain. As he ran for his life he noticed sections in front of him began to seal off. They were trying to box him in and he knew how that would end. Giving it everything he had, the pilot cranked up the thruster on his jump kit and started moving even faster. In essence he'd just sacrificed his mobility for raw speed. An alert sound on his HUD as the extra boost was about to wear off and possibly blow his jump kit thruster. The jump pack just had to hold out a little longer so he could outrun the rapidly closing bulkhead doors. He dropped and slid under one just as it slammed shut. At that moment the jump pack over heated and shut down forcing him to slide uncontrollably along the ground. In front of him was a sold T-junction wall that he would splatter against with out the jump pack. Thinking quickly, he fired the grappling hook from his wrist, latching it onto a sturdy pipe on above him, and stopped a few inches from the wall. He breathed a sigh of relief as he came to a stop, only to see he was now cornered. The clicks of safeties being released on many strange looking guns echoed around him.
"VE HAVE YOU CORNERED NOW HUMAN, NOW IS TIME TO SURRENDER!"
"Aw crap." Burke said as he slowly moved his hands up. "Looks like you got me." Then he suddenly reached into his combat jacket and unleashed a flashbang. The piercing light blinded the jagermonsters who cried out in pain as they were blinded by the light and deafened from the bang. Seeing his chance to run once more, Thomas charged the disoriented guards and plowed through them like bowling pins. "See ya later suckers!" He shouted as he ran again through the halls of the sprawling airship.
-WITH THE BARON-
The Baron had left the hive engine's room and proceeded to a command chamber with his generals and enforcers. The baron was listening to runner explaining the situation.
"How hard can it be to capture one man?" The baron growled.
"Ze man in black und green is really nimble und he used some kind of flash bomb-" The runner said timidly under the baron's gaze.
"Just get him! He must not be allowed to reach the residential block! Vonn Pinn, Dupree!" The baron snapped to the runner who went to pass along the order. He then turned to his trusted enforcers to capture the stranger.
"Yes baron, I will deal with him." Vonn Pinn the leather clad blonde female construct with a red eye growled dutifully to her superior.
"I'm here to you know." Dupree the pirate queen crossed her arms.
"Both of you are to you remember, that I want him alive to talk. If you have to, then hurt him. But DO NOT kill him! Is that understood? His insight into the technology he wields, and the knowledge of where he came from, is too valuable to be wasted." That ordered to his subordinates.
"Just tie my hands why don't ya? *sigh* Oh well, I know I can make do with hurt and maim." Dupree briefly looked disappointed before smiling madly.
"Come Dupree let's capture this intruder, I have to keep him away from the children." Vonn Pinn growled while making her way out.
"No need to tell me twice." Dupree said as she followed the irritable construct.
"He is trapped in engineering I've already sent word for the guards to lock it down." The baron said as he waved them off and face a window.
"That will definitely help." Dupree said coolly.
-SOME TIME LATER-
Thomas had been cornered again in some kind of large engineering room. He was boxed in by locked doors and all kinds of security clanks. He could handle the machines if he had more room to move. What his problem was now were the two apparent females who were here to lock horns with him. the pilot at least had enough room in this area to shine with his acrobatic side. His two opponents walked through the large doors to the area, one of them looking extremely angry, the other had a mad grin on her face.
"So, I'm guessing you two are Baron von jerk face's goons, right?" The pilot said lazily as he gestured to the pirate queen and female construct.
"Shut your mouth, disrespectful peasant! I am Vonn Pinn and you will surrender now boy!" Vonn pinn snarled at the young warfighter.
"Hah baron von jerk face! That's a new one! I like this guy!" Dupree laughed.
"Dupree, focus you wench!" Vonn Pinn snapped to her associate.
"Right, don't worry mister comedian isn't going anywhere." Dupree grumpily assured the construct following the insult.
"Now who's the one being funny? Besides I'm 19 years old, back where I come from they consider me a grown man. I guess it's a good thing they taught me systema and other hand to hand techniques in training." The pilot retorted and cracked his knuckles while loosening his other joints with resounding pops.
"Ooh now what's that systema thing? Sounds Russian, but you don't look like an egghead." Dupree asked her prey.
"Come at me and you'll find out." The pilot replied coolly as he took up a fighting stance.
"You're a glutton for punishment!" Dupree shouted as she raced towards the man who sidestepped her attack and back handed her. He followed it up with an axe kick to her side that sent the pirate queen tumbling across the floor. Vonn pinn rushed him attempting to grab a hold of the trouble making young man. He jumped and over her using his reactivated jump pack and fired his twin P2016 pistols. The rounds bounced off of her reinforced frame whereas they seemed to work on normal clanks. He skidded to a halt and charged the female construct with a devastating punch. For him it was just like punching a simulacrum or a specter. Vonn Pinn grew angrier every moment she fought against the seemingly untouchable acrobat. Dupree recovered and swung her sword at him, only to be countered and parried by a data knife. He then punched the pirate queen in the face and flung her back. She stabbed her sword into the floor and gritted her teeth. The pilot then landed a punishing kick to Vonn Pinn's face and she flew into a bulkhead, denting it. With that moment of time bought, he reengaged with Dupree who went blade to blade with him. the sparks flew as the future soldier's knife clashed against the pirate queen's saber blade. Dupree then drew a gun and started to try copying his systema tactics. While momentarily surprised, it was simply flimsy imitation so the hardened assault pilot had no trouble countering her stolen tactics and headbutting her. Dupree was dazed from the headbutt and unable to avoid a furious counter punch from the heroic pilot. Vonn Pinn recovered looking angrier than ever before as she tried to claw at the pilot viciously. Seeing the pilot briefly off balance and distracted, the pirate queen swept her target's leg and sent him to the ground with a yelp. She then tried to stab him but he used his jump pack to slide out of the way and then retaliated with an upward kick to the face as he backflipped to his feet.
"You're good, *pant* really good, for a green Grasshopper." Dupree said as she wiped blood from her lip, slightly winded from the skirmish.
"Eh, I was trained to be one of the best. Acrobatics and stamina is just step one. You may be my enemy, but you're not half bad yourself, Captain Morgan." Burke coolly explained, acknowledging his opponent and finished with a taunt.
"The name's Bang Dupree the pirate Queen!" She roared, forgetting about her lip.
"Whatever, anyway, bring it because I live for this!" Burke sassed the sassy pirate and rushed her to deliver a knee to the face. The lady pirate ducked under the move and he flew right into a trap set by a waiting vonn pinn. Burke's eyes flew wide open as he was dealt a crushing blow by the angry construct. The hardened pilot felt some of his ribs crack from the impact and yelped in pain. Relying on his remaining adrenaline, Burke was not about to back down and go quietly. He knew that he had to use his abilities sparingly, otherwise it would give away valuable knowledge that they seemed to want. If he was going down then he'd avoid letting them know the secrets he held.
"Give up already boy, it's over!" Vonn Pinn snarled harshly.
"Not till I say it is." The pilot growled as he darted forward in a final ditch effort. He then threw a pulse blade at the angered construct only for it to be caught and thrown to the floor. "Aw nuts and bolts." Burke shut his eyes as he felt the force of Vonn Pinn's fist striking his helmet. Thomas felt the world around starting to fade to black he struggled too get to his one last time through sheer force of will. Holding one last trump card, he pulled the pin and on an EMP grenade a rolled to the side. The device momentarily stunned Vonn Pinn and made her even more furious. He then used the opportunity to cloak and disappear for a brief moment. Knowing he only had a few seconds at best, the pilot looked for a way out. There had to be an escape hatch or emergency maintenance duct somewhere for him to use.
"Find him! He cannot be allowed to escape!" Vonn pinn barked to the pirate.
"Oh ya think?!" Dupree snapped back her fellow inner circle member.
'C'mon there has to be something!' Burke thought frantically as the cloak wore off and he grappled upwards to hide in a small alcove of pipes on the ceiling. As his attackers searched for him below, the pilot kept looking for a way out that wasn't locked down. The shadows proved to be a good friend to the future warfighter as he searched for his escape. He knocked a loose bolt to the floor and it landed right next to Dupree's boot. She looked up to see a faint blue glow on the ceiling and smiled at the opportunity for payback.
"Gotcha!" She quickly drew her sidearm and fired into the mess of pipes. The pilot leapt out of his compromised hiding spot and swung to safety with his grappling hook. Landing on his feet and preparing to go another round, Burke drew his pistols and broke into a sprint just as Vonn Pinn was about to hit him, he slid under her and rapidly fired the semi-automatic pistols. The rounds were having some effect on her at least but not as much as fists apparently. That didn't make any sense to him but what really mattered was getting out of this place in one piece. He then jumped upwards and somersaulted over Dupree.
"That was a pretty neat little disappearing act you pulled, but too bad for you this is over." Dupree said eagerly with a hint of bloodlust in her feminine voice as she raised her sword to the young pilot.
"*sigh* All I wanted to do was just go back home to where I belong, is that seriously too much to ask?" The pilot shook his head and sighed in exasperation at just how bad today was going. He put a hand to his helmet and groaned in frustration.
"Pretty much tough guy. All you had to do was surrender like a good little soldier or whatever you are, and this would never have happened. But here we are." Dupree shrugged.
"And let you guys do whatever you want with me as a prisoner? Fat chance of that. I think I've made it pretty clear that I'm not going down without a fight." Burke briefly crossed his arms before he swiftly blocked an eager strike from Dupree with his combat knife.
"So feisty… I like it!" Dupree said as she crossed blades with the pilot.
"Okay, now you're just being*grunt*weird!" Burke said as he shoved her back.
"Oh, says the guy who can turn invisible and run on walls!" The pirate queen pointed a finger at him
"That's real cute how you think I'm going to monologue or something. When it comes down to survival, pretty much everything's fair game. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm out of here." Burke kept his cool despite the situation.
"You are not going anywhere, this room is sealed, and I severely doubt you can open those doors! Now get on your knees and submit!" Vonn Pinn growled to the seemingly cornered pilot.
"I'd listen this time if I were you, but then again, it'll be more fun to make you hurt more first." Dupree tapped her foot.
"I'll admit, you think you've got me boxed in, and normally you'd be right, but you're not." Burke said coolly as he finally found a secret maintenance hatch under his feet. He stealthily tapped his foot against the plate that provided a shallow sounding echo of hope. He then grinned a wide smile of success under his visor.
"Alright mister magician, then what's your little endgame? Because it looks to me like you've exhausted your bag of tricks so to speak." Dupree said as she and Vonn Pinn closed in on their prey, unaware of the pilot's escape plan.
"That would be true, if I didn't have experience with this type of situation, of course." Burke said smugly.
"Now you're just bluffing to waste time, face it you lost. Cut the act and drop your fancy weapons." Dupree had gotten bored and started being direct.
"Bluffing, am I?" The pilot said as he pulled the pin out of another flashbang grenade and swiftly picked up a large pipe. He briefly twirled the weapon in his hands and knocked out Dupree by hitting her upside the head with his makeshift staff. Burke then used his grappling hook to fling Vonn Pinn into another wall with loud clang sound as she dented the steel. "On that note miss Bang, I bid you adieu!" Burke said with a smile under his visor as he dropped into the tunnel and crawled to safety. He dropped a frag grenade behind himself to seal the entrance to avoid being followed. He could hear the baron's cronies venting their frustrations at his escape. He grinned and continued making his way forward taking a few twists and turns along the way. When he felt safe enough and could no longer hear the sound heavy clanking from the strange old-timey security robot things he reached up and cracked open a hatch above himself. Just as he did so, he looked around to see a orangish-blonde haired girl in a red jumpsuit with glasses and a white cat laying on the bed. "Howdy." He said with a cowboy accent.
"Eep!" The girl then stomped on the hatch in surprise.
"OWWW! That's my head!" The young pilot groaned in pain with his lightly muffled voice as he was bonked back down into the passage.
-END CHAPTER-