Chapter Five: The Start Of A War
An hour before sunrise, Manic took Starr to an abandoned part of town so she could test out her telekinesis abilities. They made absolutely sure no one from the Wulf House were even remotely close before they got started.
Manic pointed to the left and said, "See that burnt-up oil drum? I want you to lift it."
Starr focussed her energy into levitating the charred black drum for a moment, but it wouldn't stay up for long.
"That's alright, you'll get the hang of it. Just imagine someone was chasing you and you needed to throw the drum at them. Just relax, then do it."
The teenage hedgehog shut her eyes, ran the scenario through her head, then reopened her eyes, ready to try again. Her right hand glowed bright magenta and with the flick of her wrist, the hundred pound oil drum was tossed through the air, crashing into a chain link fence nearby.
"Whoa, that was awesome!" Starr exclaimed.
"There ya go, kid. Practice that on other objects until you feel confident with your ability."
The teenage hedgehog looked for other items to levitate, while Manic pulled out his phone to text Cassia.
As he typed a message, a massive CRASH sounded out and rattled the abandoned industrial lot they were standing in. Manic turned around and clamoured as Starr levitated an entire factory off the ground. He dropped his phone and looked up in shock at how powerful the teenager suddenly was.
"Now this is more like it!"
"Hey, kid- just set that building down nice and easy, okay? We don't need any extra attention coming our way." Manic said.
The factory was slowly lowered down and put back onto it's foundation. Her eyes then started glowing the same light purple shade as her energy source, then she fainted.
Manic ran to catch her before she hit the ground. "Ah, shit!..."
Starr landed in his arms just before she hit the concrete, then he set her down against a wall. As he tried to wake her up, the purple hedgehog felt her head spinning while opening and closing her eyes. She then let out an angry ROAR and purple energy blasted from her hands. The force of this blast broke concrete walls down and cracked the pavement within seconds, but Manic was unaffected by the energy.
She looked up at him in shock. "Manic- my energy didn't do anything to you!"
He shrugged. "Was it supposed to?"
"The last time someone got caught in a blast like that, they were flung back 50 feet..."
"I guess I'm immune to your energy, or any of your powers. Fancy that... you alright to move on?"
She nodded and Manic helped her up, then she readied herself for the next tutorial
"Next, I wanna see if you can levitate yourself. Ready?"
Starr stretched her arms outward. "Ready."
"Ascend to the top of that wrecked building."
The teen pointed her hands palm side down and her energy lifted her off the ground about seven feet but it wasn't a steady flight.
"I can't stay balanced!" She cried out.
"Yes, you can! Just focus! Stay calm and keep rising." Manic ordered.
She balanced herself in mid air, and eventually was able to control her ascent. The green hedgehog watched from the ground, coaching her through the "test", doing his best to hide his jealousy.
"You're doing great, kid!...now when the hell do I get flight powers?..."
Starr reached the roof of the nearby building and landed there.
"I never thought I'd be able to do that, Manic. How'd you know I could levitate?" She asked.
"It's all about putting 2-and-2 together. You can lift objects, why shouldn't you be able to lift yourself, right. Now come back down and we'll try a combination of these abilities"
Half an hour went by and the sun started to rise when Starr finally called for an end to the session, exhausted from her rigorous training.
Manic checked his phone for the time. "5:16, we ought 'ta split from here, kid. Streets'll be crawling with goof troops soon."
"Okay... can we stop for breakfast along the way? I'm drained right now."
"I don't see why not. C'mon, lets jet."
Neon green and purple shined brightly as the two elementals left the industrial compound and raced back to Westvalley. They would reach the city limits before Manic spotted a small army of Wulf House soldiers lurking the streets ahead.
"Hey, kid- let's move East, there's too much heat down here-"
THERE THEY ARE!
"Son of a bitch!"
The cleaners aimed a grenade launcher at them and fired a strange projectile, missing Manic but striking Starr. The projectile electrocuted and restricted her from using her powers.
"MANIC!" Starr cried out while writhing on the ground.
"I'm coming!"
The soldiers fired more projectiles at Manic to prevent him from making the save, then the biggest cleaners scooped up Starr and hauled her into the back of an armoured vehicle. They raced away so Manic went in pursuit. He jumped across rooftops, dodged bullets and fired off a few blasts, but this did nothing more than dent the speeding vehicle.
"Lets see you pricks get past this-"
Manic ran ahead, ripped a telephone pole out of the ground and aimed for the windshield. Just before he could throw his makeshift javelin, someone ran up and tackled him out of the street. The front window of a coffee shop shattered as they crashed inside, while the armoured vehicle came to a stop out front.
"Get her back to base! This fucker is ALL mine."
The soldiers hopped back into the truck and raced to their headquarters. Manic cursed aloud while getting to his feet, then stared at his assailant. One look at his dog tags was all he needed.
"Willard Wulf" Manic growls
The Wulf House leader greeted him by rushing toward the geen hedgehog and pulling out a small curved knife. Manic dodged the initial attacks but Willard eventually sliced his left arm and thigh. Every time it connects, the blade flashed white. Manic tried to counter the attack but quickly realized this was a specialized knife cutting into his flesh, with each strike leaving him weaker and weaker. The elemental dropped to one knee and strained groans left his mouth.
Willard looked down. "I heard you witchcraft kids were supposed to be a bunch of roughhouse sons of bitches-"
He swiped down Manic's back with the blade, causing him to scream out.
"I've seen better."
The Jade Medallion around Manic's neck lit up and a flash of neon green energy pushed everything in sight backwards. Willard put his arms up and a small, titanium white-coloured shield popped up to block the energy attack. By the time the light had faded, Manic was gone. The commander sneered at this and called for a ride to pick him up.
Back at the Downtown checkpoint, Lieutenant Tullen inspected security footage vigilantly of the incident that occurred late last night. He watched as Falke walked with Cassia, then the fatal blast to toll booth guard and finally Cass take the recruit hostage.
Tully clinched his fists and shouted, "Shit!... boss is gonna kill me!"
His men traded confused looks while their superior officer smashed a window out.
"We gotta get him back! C'mon, lets go before the boss finds out his nephew was kidnapped! Find Falke, NOW!"
The heavyset Lieutenant led his cleaners out of the checkpoint and into their trucks. They spent the next two hours tearing through every single neighbourhood in Southcounty and the east end, looking for their missing comrade. Tully kicked in the doors of each house on every black and sent his troops in to search but they would find no sign of Falke Wulf.
Benni Beans, Manic's short crow friend, walked down the street and watched the Wulf House search through every home in this neighbourhood, curious as to what they were looking for.
B.B approached a family who were removed from their home by the Cleaners. "What're they looking for?"
"One of their new recruits was kidnapped by an elemental and they're sweeping the area." The home owner answered.
"Damn... any clue if Manic the Hedgehog was involved?"
"I just heard Willard Wulf got ahold of Manic a few hours ago. I doubt he made it out, buddy"
B.B thought about this for a moment, then he put his hoodie on and ran toward the docks. He texted Cassia's phone and made sure no one was following him on his way to Cassia's underground hideout. The small crow trekked through a woodland, down a declining hill and finally reached a secret bunker hidden under pipelines and overgrown grass.
B.B banged on the rusty door and entered. "Hey, Sassy Cass! It's me, Beans!"
Cassia sat in the makeshift lobby making adjustments to her metallic arm. "Lock the door behind you, a couple small creatures got in last time you left it open."
"Aye, aye, captain," he responded sarcastically. "You heard from Manic lately?"
"No, he stopped texting a couple hours ago."
"Well, this family told me Willard Wulf caught up with him, they said he didn't make it."
Cassia dropped her electronics and turned to B.B. "Are you sure?"
"No, but you know what usually happens to anyone Willard catches..."
"...Manic wouldn't go down that easy." Cassia said.
She tried calling his cellphone but received no answer every time. She texted him but still nothing. They made eye contact for a moment, then walked inside a broken-down train car that's been stuck inside the bunker for years. B.B spotted Falke Wulf and immediately stopped in his tracks.
"Is- is this guy from the Wulf House?"
"Yep. Picked him up last night, new recruit goin' AWOL."
"Cass, they're looking for this guy! His superiors are kicking down every door right now!" B.B exclaimed. "You can't keep him here, they'll storm this place!"
"Well-we can't let 'em get there hands on him, either!" She responded.
"Wait, why not? ..don't tell me you fell in love with him, Cass."
She punched him in the arm in response. "Shut up, that's not even close to the reason."
"Okay! ..so why can't we just dump him back out there?"
"Because he helped me escape from them last night.. if they get Falke, they'll kill him."
B.B paused for a moment before answering. "...so fucking what?! He's one of them, they're trying to murder you, and now me because I'm helping you! Fuck this guy, let 'em take his head off!"
Cassia picked B.B up by his hoodie and slammed him against the wall. "You don't get to make any decisions because you don't know what happened. I found him, he helped me, so I say we help him get away. Got it?"
Falke was woken by the argument so he sat up. "Whoa, what's going on? What's with all the yelling?"
B.B struggled to breathe before saying, "ugh... we were just debating on whether to throw you back to the Wulf House or not. I'm all for it-no offence, pal"
"Oh."
Cassia dropped B.B and looked at Falke. "Ignore him, we're not gonna hand you over. You're safe here."
Falke looked at the crow. "Did someone say they were looking for me? I think I heard that part."
"You are correct, you Wulf House son of a bitch."
Cassia glares at the Crow angrily.
"What? He is a member of that family so I'm just calling it as I see it. Excuse the hell out of me for being so blunt!"
The recruit stood up and looked around the train car. "Where are we?"
"My bunker. Are you hungry? I've got some food over here." Cassia offered.
"I'm pretty hungry, Cass. I wouldn't mind a snack." B.B added.
She shoulder bumped past him. "You don't get anything because you're an asshole."
B.B raised a middle finger when she turned her back to him. Falke followed her out of the train car and into the back area of the bunker. She opened a microwave and put in a plate of leftovers for Falke.
"You have electricity down here?"
"Backup generator. Technically speaking, it's property of the city but, I think they've got more important things to worry about than me stealing a little electricity off them."
B.B rushed over to hand Cassia his phone. "It's Manic."
She quickly took the phone. "Are you alright?"
The green hedgehog sat in a chair sipping on liquor. "...I'm fine."
"What happened, we heard Willard got you."
"We butted heads, sure-he cut me up pretty good. Fucker had some special razor and it stopped me from conjuring energy...I was dying, I could feel it. I underestimated him, Cass. I won't do that again."
"Manic, where are you?"
The green hedgehog leaned over a table while Thompson's girlfriend stitched the long wound on his back closed.
"A couple friends of mine are letting me crash at their place... listen, another friend was abducted by Wulf's troops while he beat the shit out of me. I gotta get her back before they kill her. I don't know how but I'm gonna get my hands on Willard again, and they'll be pulling that fuckin' razor out of his head this time."
The music on Cassia's radio stopped playing abruptly.
-WE INTERRUPT THIS BROADCAST WITH A MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE OF MAYOR TINSEL
Cassia, Falke and Beans listened to her radio closely, while Manic, Thompson and Mickie watched the TV news.
Hello, citizens of Metropolis. I'm proud to announce the Annual City Galla will be scheduled for Tomorrow, the 28th, instead of the 30th. I'd like to formally invite everyone to come out for a night of social activities and entertainment. Our newest guest Willard Wulf and his company will be there for a meet and greet. Here is Willard himself with an announcement of his own.
Manic's eyes burned with rage upon seeing the Wulf House leader appear on screen.
As you may have seen, my family have taken control of the fight against bio-terrorism. Those filthy Elementals who cause havoc and death in your city, it stops now. And we want to assure the public that we, The Wulf House, are not the villains here.
We have recently caught an Elemental and instead of killing it, I thought I should give a demonstration of it's true capabilities and mind state. In doing so, show you that monsters like Manic the Hedgehog and his band of freaks are the real danger to you.
Manic banged his fists against the table angrily.
I hope you come to see it, hopefully it'll change your mind about this entire mess Manic has created. See you tomorrow night.
Mayor Tinsel stood at the podium once more.
I want to also add that this year, the Galla is free of charge to enter for everyone. So please, come down and enjoy a drink with us, your elected city council. I will see you there.
Manic immediately picked up the phone to announce his plan. "We're hitting the Galla. I don't care."
"Manic, don't be stupid. The city council Galla? You're looking at hundreds of armed guards there ALONG with the Wulf House."
B.B took the phone next. "She's right. You know Willard's just doing this to get you to come out again. It's a trap, dude!... I hate to admit it but- there's just too god damn many of 'em."
"Then we bring in someone who knows how to cut those numbers down. A computer wiz, someone who can even the odds."
Cassia spoke again. "Okay, lets humour that idea: we hit the Galla, get some hacker to help us and then what? We'll be shot on site, Manic!"
"You let me worry about the hacker. I just so happen to know the best one on the planet.
"What are you talking about?"
Manic smirked. "Let me make a phone call, an old friend of mine owes me a favor from awhile back."
Cassia handed B.B his phone back and looked at him. "What's he doing?"
Beans put the phone away. "I don't know, but I sure hope he's got a good friend to go with this already great plan..."