Chapter Five
The Escape
Over the next two weeks, the Cage brothers stuck to their task of putting together the suit, keeping their heads down and not drawing attention to themselves. Speaking in codes that they changed up every day, they carefully planned out their escape. The suit started coming together, the brothers finishing up the harness, helmet, and armor. It started looking more like a suit than a pile of random scraps.
Finally, they were ready.
"Alright," James said, patting the small bench they had been using. "Sit up here and let me get this harness on you."
Joshua grumbled as he normally did. They had started using Joshua as a test dummy for the suit's parts and pieces, having him try them on and make sure they were working properly. The guards had raised some concern initially, but after James told them there was a chance of the suit malfunctioning and crushing their bones, they decided they'd rather Joshua did the job instead of one of them.
James worked steadily, treating it as if it were no different than any previous time, fastening each bolt and cinching the harness up so that it fit tightly around his brother. "How does that feel?" he asked, having Joshua move his arm around. "How are they moving? Do you think they're about ready?"
Joshua wiggled around, not responding to James's coded message of "Are you ready?"
"Feels good," he said. "Just wondering how to get out to go to the bathroom."
"Good to go," was his coded message. James nodded. "I'll let you know if it becomes a problem. Begin testing."
Joshua stretched and moved around inside the suit like he normally did. James started flipping switches on the harness, following his standard procedures. He slipped his hand under the harness, where he'd installed a hidden switch. He flipped it, setting off an electromagnetic pulse and taking out the cameras, lights, computer, everything.
They were in the dark.
"What was that?" the guards said, stepping forward and priming their guns. "What did you do?"
"Sorry, sorry," James said, standing back with his hands up. "Just a mistake in the programming. Just let me . . . Now!"
He dived down behind the table as Joshua jumped to his feet. He grabbed the gun of the nearest guard and twisted until he dropped it. He punched the guard in the chest, a surprising amount of force throwing the guard across the room.
"Whoa," Joshua said, staring at his own fist.
The other guard stared, stunned. Joshua took the opportunity and leaped across the room with incredible speed and tackled the guard. He wrenched the guard's gun from his hand, bending it out of shape in the process. James couldn't help but smile seeing his handiwork performing so well.
Both guards down, James rolled out from his hiding place. "Let's jam this door. Others are probably on the way."
He and Joshua pushed the table up against the door and jammed it tightly.
"Come on," James said. "We only have a few minutes. Let me get the rest of the suit on."
"Yes, sir," Joshua said, sitting back down on the bench. James gathered up all the pieces of the suit, and kicked the computer back on. He had thought ahead and insulated it ahead of time against the EMP.
He pulled up his programming and got it ready to download. Joshua slipped his arms into the suit's coat and fastened it to the harness. He slipped the trousers on and got them attached as well. Once the program was ready, James pulled out two connector cords and plugged them in. He tapped on the keyboard to get the program downloading before helping Joshua with his gloves and boots.
Finally, all they had left was the helmet. The brothers worked together to squeeze it down over Joshua's head. It was a bit of a tight fit, but not too bad. Once it was on, they only had to wait for the program to finish downloading. While they waited, James plugged in the virus he had written disguised as coding to wipe the Black Cross's system of all records and blueprints involving the Ranger Program and super suit.
"How's your helmet's visor working?" he asked. "There should be a heads-up display coming on."
Joshua nodded. "Yeah, I'm seeing it," he said, his voice a little muffled.
Several heavy thuds started pounding on the door, making both brothers jump. James bit started typing faster. The program was only about seventy-five percent done.
The pounding at the door stopped, shortly followed by a larger bang that left a slight dent in the door. A battering ram. Another bang and the dent got bigger. James tapped his leg, wishing the computer would move faster.
Another bang, followed by a metallic crunch. The door crumpled in like paper. Ninety percent, ninety-two percent, ninety-five percent. Almost there. Come on.
Another bang and the door flew open, the table skidding to the side. A horde of Black Cross soldiers swarmed into the room, guns pointed at the brothers.
"Back against the wall!" they shouted.
James stepped back, hands in the air. The computer reached one hundred percent.
Joshua launched himself from the table, tackling the nearest group of soldiers as the room erupted into chaos. James dove behind the table, grabbing the gun one of their guards had dropped. Joshua grabbed one soldier and threw him into the next, sending them both sprawling. A spray of bullets rang out across the room as several soldiers opened fire on Joshua. Joshua stood there and took it, the bullets ricocheting off the suit's armor, not even causing a single scratch of damage. Finally, the bullets stopped.
"Nice try," Joshua said. He leaped back into the fray, taking down one enemy after another. James helped him out, sniping soldiers from behind the table.
The ranger suit was a sight to behold. Inside it, Joshua fought through the crowd with quick, fluid movements, taking them down like they were nothing. With every punch, he could hear bones cracking. He almost had to hold back to avoid doing serious damage. His speed was intense too. With every step, he covered more distance than he could have ever expected, and his jumps carried him several feet into the air.
The soldiers rushed him as a group, hoping to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. With a mighty shove, he threw them all into the air and back on top of each other. Everything they tried against him failed. Joshua punched and kicked his way through their ranks until there were only two left. They looked at each other and tried to rush him at the same time. Joshua merely grabbed them both and knocked their heads together.
The battle was over.
Joshua stood in the middle of a heap of bodies, staring around at what he had done with his own hands. James stepped out from behind the table.
"How did I do," Joshua asked, putting up his visor.
"Awesome," James said, looking him over. "Are you okay?"
Joshua shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much. Let's get out of here."
They stepped over the unconscious soldiers and up to the door. "Stay behind me," Joshua said. "Keep the gun ready."
"Got it," James said, tucking up behind his brother.
Joshua stepped out carefully into the corridor. Everything was dark and quiet for now. "Come on," he said.
They hugged the opposite wall, keeping it to their backs at all times. They approached the far corner, Joshua peeking around. He spotted some movement up ahead.
"Stay back," he said. "Cover me."
"Got it," James said. Joshua stepped out as a squad of about twelve soldiers came into view.
"Looking for me," he said.
"Freeze," their leader shouted.
"Yeah, I don't think so." Joshua charged, barreling into them at blinding speed. Several bullets pecked his armor, but he ignored them and kept going, throwing and punching and flipping them over like rag dolls. In seconds, every last one lay scattered on the floor.
"Not too shabby," he said.
James stepped out from behind the wall. "Don't get cocky, little bro," he said. "We're not out of the woods yet."
A faint sliding sound met their ears. James looked over his brother's shoulder to see a wall open up, revealing a shadowy figure standing behind a secret door. His brain kicked into instinct mode and he shoved Joshua out of the way.
"Look out!"
A rocket shot from the secret passage, flying past Joshua and striking the wall behind James, exploding in a fiery blast
"No!" Joshua said. The force of the blast had been enough to destroy the wall and cause the ceiling to cave in. James was nowhere to be seen.
"James!" Joshua shouted.
A cold, cruel laugh broke through the dusty air. "You know, for as smart as he was, James Cage really could be quite stupid sometimes." The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing a smiling golden mask. He held a rocket launcher in his hand, pointed right at Joshua's chest. "Well, look at that," he said. "Our very first fully functioning Power Ranger."
Joshua fumed, clenching his powerful fists.
"Truly a marvel, isn't it?" the Golden Mask said, looking over the suit. "James Cage should be proud of the work he's accomplished. Let's see how it holds up against some real firepower."
He fired. Another rocket burst from the weapon and headed straight for him. His visor lit up, showing him the rocket's speed and trajectory, indicating the best option for dodging the attack. Joshua sidestepped the rocket and it blazed right past him. He turned to face the Golden Mask, rushing toward him, grabbing the rocket launcher, and pulling it from his hands. He balled up his fist with all the strength he could muster and punched him in the gut so hard he was sure something had burst. The Golden Mask flew through the air, hitting the concrete wall behind him so hard he left a small crater. He slumped to the floor and didn't get up again.
"James!" Joshua said. He ran back to the other end of the hall and started shifting rubble around, uncovering his brother. Severe burns and gaping wounds covered most of James's body, his face a mangled mess. Blood pooled around him and his glasses lay shattered nearby. He coughed and spat up more blood. Joshua had seen enough battlefield wounds in his time to know when a situation was beyond help. He knew it was too late, but he wouldn't accept it.
"Come on, James," he said, "We've got to get you out of here."
He tried to move his brother, but everything he tried caused James to cry out in horrible pain. "Stop," James said. He grasped his brother's shoulder. "Stop. It's no use."
"No," Joshua said. Tears filled his eyes. "We've got to get you out of here. Please, James."
"No," James said. His voice was weak. "You have got to get out of here. You need to escape and get this suit back to EAGLE. You need to become the ranger you were always meant to be."
"Not without you," Joshua said. "This was your project."
"Not anymore," James said. "Get back to the base. Find General Edgar Kenpachi. He will help you. Become a ranger and bring these guys down once and for all."
Tears streamed from Joshua's eyes. He popped his visor open. "Please don't leave me, James. I can't do this without you."
James grasped his brother's hand and smiled. "I love you, Josh."
His hand went limp in Joshua's grip. He let out one last ragged breath and he was gone.
Joshua stared at his brother. He carefully reached out a hand and shook his shoulder. "James," he said. "James!"
He grasped his brother's body with both hands, shaking him with everything he had.
"Please, James," he pleaded.
James didn't respond.
Joshua slumped back against the ground. He stared at his brother's body, his mind numb. The sound of more Black Cross soldiers coming met his ears. Another squad appeared around the corner.
"There he is," one of them shouted. "Get him!"
The soldiers charged. Joshua stared at them blankly, only one thought filling his mind. His brother was dead. His family was dead. And it was all their fault.
He let out a cry of rage and charged his opponents head on. He ripped and tore through them, hardly paying attention to anything he was doing. He didn't care. He just wanted to make them pay. The soldiers tried to fight back, but it was a futile effort. Eventually, most started running.
"Get back here," he said, his vision turning red. He chased them down, bashing the slowest's head against the wall before moving on to the next. He kept up his chase through the compound, tearing through every soldier he could find until he stumbled past a door through which a beam of sunshine drifted through a small square window. He stopped in his tracks, the sight triggering something in his mind.
He turned to stare at the door, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing. He hadn't seen real sunshine in so long. He reached out a tentative hand and pushed it open.
He stepped through the door, stepping out into a small nondescript parking lot surrounded by warehouses. He took off his helmet, feeling cool, fresh air on his skin for the first time in several weeks. The air and sunshine cleared his head and brought him back to his senses. Escape, he thought. That's right. He had to escape. He looked back at the door behind him, hearing the sounds of more soldiers approaching. He took a deep breath and clicked on the Birdie Rockets at his belt. They fired up, and he took off into the sky.