Authors Note: Special thanks to Jam-Man265's request for me to continue this story. I wasn't entirely sure I still had readers. :/ Thanks dude! ^-^
Chapter 13
"Die you ha-"
a wave of Ki silenced the splicer mid rant as she crumpled to the floor.
Tristina brought her hands down to her hips, then thrust her palms up as Jack re-loaded his revolver. Shouting incoherently, the splicers pounded on the invisible barrier Tristina had raised.
"What did you do?" Jack asked as they passed the splicers and jogged down some steps.
"Ki shield. Normally it's used for defense or protecting a Ki user from oncoming attacks, but I figured it could also keep the splicers from following us." said Tristina, arriving at the bottom of the steps.
"Hey look!" said Jack, pointing ahead of them. sitting in the center of a barren wooden stage, glinting in the artificial light, was two metal pipes attached to a metal hoop and a wooden handle.
"Wait." said Tristina, throwing out an arm to stop Jack.
"This is too easy."
"what is?"
Tristina rolled her eyes to the heavens. "Think, Jack! How often have we seen a nearly pristine weapon just laying out in the middle of a stage with a spotlight shining on it. even your tommy gun has some grime from earlier use." said Tristina, nodding to the weapon on Jacks back.
Jack took the gun off his back and examined it, then looked at the shot-gun.
"Huh." Jack commented, sliding his arm through the sling and bouncing it back on his back. "I didn't think the splicers had enough sanity left to set up a trap."
"I don't think it was the splicers." said Tristina, carefully approaching the shot-gun.
"The stage around the shot-gun is swept clean." Tristina observed, quickly taking in the immediate area. "It might have been Steinman." "So what do we do?" Jack asked, walking up next to Tristina.
Tristina stuck out her foot, slid her white furred toes under the muzzle of the shot-gun, then lightly tossed it over on its side. stepping back a few steps, Tristina pulled Jack with her.
Silence soon reclaimed the area.
"well, at least we know it's not on a pressure plate." said Tristina, approaching the gun again. "So...can I pick it up now?" Jack asked, smirking slightly. Tristina smirked in return and shrugged.
"go ahead. If someone wanted to ambush us, they would have done it by..." a loud 'clack' was heard as the lights except for the one above them as Jack straightened, the shotgun in his hands.
"Hope you know how to use that thing." Tristina whispered, bathing her hands in Ki and sliding one foot back. Jack smiled, a quiet 'ka-chick' heard from the rifle as he aimed it in front of him.
"I'm the star, not you!" a masked woman screamed, raising a bloody pipe as her blackened feet carried her to Tristina.
Spinning on one foot, the wolf's heel smashed into the woman's neck with a satisfying crack. before the woman had even hit the ground, Tristina's hands were raised as several bullets of light leapt from them.
Meanwhile, his back to her, Jack was holding his own. The recoil from the shot-gun was buffeted by Jacks shoulder as various splicers raced towards him at various angles.
"Jack, Hold up!" Tristina cried at the top of her lungs.
Jack, who had fired into the black area around them, stopped.
As he lowered his shot-gun, he noticed Tristina had her eyes closed, her ears twitching.
Her nostrils enlarged then shrank, and her eyes slid open. "That's...all of them I think." Tristina whispered, turning to Jack.
"Lets find that plasmid and get out of here." Jack whispered. Tristina nodded and followed him through the mold riddled halls back towards the staircase. hidden in the shadows by the staircase, an iced over door sat by a sign that read 'Dandy Dental.'
"Doors locked." said Jack, tugging and pulling at the two sliding doors. "Wait here. I think I see some busted out windows on the side." said Tristina, disappearing around the corner.
Sitting just above a blood and dirt stained teal couch were four windows where the bottom panes had been blown out. catching movement out of the corner of her eye, Tristina dove onto the couch as a volley of bullets shattered the remaining window.
"Sorry Jack." Tristina muttered, molding a Ki bomb in her hand and hurdling it through the window as the machine searched for her. clicking her fingers, Tristina covered her head as the explosion rocked the room.
peering into the now smoke-filled room, Tristina spotted the jerry rigged turret sitting in a corner. as the smoke filtered out of the room, Tristina could hear Jack pounding on the door.
"Trish? you okay in there?" He called. Tristina clambered through the window and ran to the gold plate with two buttons by the door. slamming her palm down on the bottom button, a metallic buzz sounded and the doors slid open.
"I'm fine, but I'm afraid the turret isn't." Tristina said, nodding to the machine. "Sorry, I know how you like to get the machines working on our side." Jack smiled and shrugged. "Lets just find that plasmid." He said, walking past the welcome counter.
Tristina stared after him a moment the followed him. Tristina barely noticed the red leather examination chair before a burst of steam obscured their view.
"Whoa!" Jack called from somewhere to Tristina's right. Tristina squinted to make out something...or someone...laying on the examination table. "Was...was that corpse there before?" Tristina asked, pointing to the severely decayed body.
Jack frowned in reply, but instead walked over to one of the tables. "Huh." said Jack, picking up a glowing golden bottle.
"Speedy Hacker. This could be..."
"Jack!" Tristina cried another burst of steam obscured their view.
Jack spun around and, when the steam cleared, a splicer in doctors scrubs stood in front of him.
Letting out a yell of surprise, Jack raised his shot-gun and fired.
as the body crumpled in front of them, Tristina ran over to him.
"You okay?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah." said Jack, breathing hard. "I think I spotted that plasmid thing just around the corner there." Tristina said, pointing to an area beyond their little alcove.
Jack followed Tristina to what looked like an almost pristine hall. the gold and glass sliding doors parted quietly as they passed, and at the end of a narrow hall was what looked like a hand-made tennis ball launcher.
As she examined the workings of the machine, Jack called. "Is it working?" Tristina gave a thumbs up in reply.
Suddenly, she made a frantic slashing motion across her throat. Jack nodded and crouched. In the silence, the tinkling and insane mutterings of splicers could be heard nearby.
stopping every few steps to listen, Tristina soon made it to Jacks side and listening again. "Sounds like they've gone." she whispered. "I found the plasmid." Tristina looked as Jack held out the now emptied container, a used syringe sitting at his feet.
"Looks like pretty soon I wont be the only one who can throw bombs." Tristina said with a mischievous smile.