A/N: Alright. My first real action chapter. The type with explosions and (alledged) badassery. I'll be going on a holiday so no more updates (damn!). Therefore, I've posted a new story as a very early Christmas special. Enjoy!

*SPOILER* Character death ahead! Oh no, who will it be?

8: Goodbye, Alex

Alex burst straight through the door and into his house, leaving it hanging on one hinge, the lock busted. Quickly as possible, he grabbed his dad's Remington 870 and a satchel of shells. Pumping the gun to check that it was working, he then sprinted back out the door, grabbing a phone to call the police almost as an afterthought.

The trio held out against the horde as long as they possibly could. Retreating into the nearby alley to avoid detection and to defend their position better, they turned and waged their last stand.

Toa Haavok had neutralised the remaining gunner with a blast of lightning, but was swarmed by ten gangsters, such that he struggled to defend himself properly.

Karl was swinging his blade left and right, successfully holding off 3 of his former friends, but neither gaining or losing the edge in battle.

Jerome had entrenched himself behind a dumpster, taking shots at the gangsters coming after him with his stolen USP. 2 already lay bleeding on the floor, their assailant praying that they weren't dead.

"Yes, attempted murder, down near the alley near 4th Street… Yes… No, one more… Jerome. I dunno! I just call him Jerome… My friend… Okay, okay… I got it… Yes, yes, frickin' YES... Bye!"

Thumbing the phone off, Alex checked the chamber of the gun for the fourteenth time before running around the corner towards the last place he saw Jerome.

Jerome fired the last round into the stomach the charging gangster, causing him to collapse. That left one more fanatical suicide charger. Dropping the gun in favour of his blade, Alex bent on one knee, thanking whatever omnipotent force was guiding him for the self-defence lessons he took.

In one fluid motion, he jabbed the blade forward as his opponent jumped in the air to pounce on him…

Karl was struggling to keep up with his former friends. He tried negotiating with them, but it was fruitless. Good thing his augmentations were stronger, or he would have been in trouble a long time ago.

His blade was made of a Protosteel-Titanium alloy, resulting in the blade being stronger and lighter than any other material known. Coupled with his superhuman strength, he was able to wield it with ease.

He deflected a blow from a sledgehammer, but was unsuccessful in halting its tremendous momentum. The sledgehammer slammed into the wall, anchoring the blade underneath it. He tugged at it, but to no avail.

Swearing to himself as his opponents attacked, he raised his arms in defence, fully expecting them to slash downward and cut his hands. He was in for a nasty surprise.

One of the gangsters tried to trust his Bowie into Karl's stomach, but he saw the move and stopped it at the cost of the skin around both wrists.

"Alright…" Karl looked up at the trio, eyes bloodshot, "Now I'm REALLY pissed!"

No one saw what happened next, but what was left were three dead bodies, two more injured gangsters out cold on the floor, a hole in the wall, a missing sledgehammer and prototype sword.

Haavok was constantly on his toes. He was the best of the best, the strongest of the strongest, and the swiftest of the swift. But even the best have their limits. Right now, after two thousand years of no practice, it was taking on a measly ten opponents at once with nothing but his pickaxe.

They were forcing him to use all his concentration to predict and parry their blows so he couldn't focus enough to channel it into an elemental attack. He really needed practice. Then again, so did them.

Quickly adjusting the swing of his pickaxe, Haavok hooked the blade around the body of one of the gangsters, using the momentum to throw him into two others, causing all three to fly across the room.

The remaining seven hesitated, giving the veteran Toa an unfair advantage, an advantage which he did not waste. Within moments all were lying dazed or bleeding on the ground.

"That's what you get for-"

Haavok never got to finish gloating, for at that moment, the entire wall behind him exploded in a shower of concrete, blowing him in through the opposite wall and into the empty warehouse which the wall was part of. The battered form of the Guardian Toa bounced and skidded off the floor, smashing to a halt at the base of the wall opposite to the one demolished.

A clawed hand reached out from the still-smoking opening where the blast originated and grabbed a startled Karl by the head. The figure walked out of the shadows as Jerome instinctively backed away towards the unconscious Haavok, clutching his side where he was stabbed.

"You've exhausted your usefulness, human," Krendez spat, "For that you will pay. Painfully."

Krendez growled predatorily as he slowly dug his sharp claws into the mutated human's skull bit by painful bit.

Karl felt like his head was going to explode as Krendez's claws began applying pressure to his head. Needless to say, it was excruciatingly painful. Even with the Makuta Virus still running through his body, making him more tolerant of pain, he was about to pass out from the pain.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a gunshot and felt all pressure on his head disappear. I'm saved, he thought, before passing out completely.

"CHIK-CHIK KABOOM, Bitch-ass!" Alex shouted as he pumped his still smoking shotgun, having shot the Makuta at point blank range.

Krendez roared and threw himself at Alex, using his wings to add momentum. What he didn't expect was to barrel roll to the side and smash into the wall. Growling, he got up and checked his wings. He was shocked to find that his right wing was completely blown off and his shoulder armour was littered with pockmarks.

Alex took the opportunity to blast Krendez again with his shotgun, blowing off a chunk of the weakened shoulder armour.

"Had enough? Not me." Alex shot off another one-liner as he pumped his shotgun again, "Eat ma lead!"

Krendez growled as he jumped out of the way of the buckshot, green mist starting to seep from the open shoulder wound. He pounced on Alex, ignoring the point-blank shot to the gut.

Sinking his claws into the gut of his opponent, the Makuta brought Alex's shell-shocked face close to his.

"You tire me, human," Krendez backhanded Alex, sending him to the floor in a crumpled heap, "Now you have paid for getting in my way."

Turning towards Jerome and a now awake but groggy Toa Haavok, he growled. "I have no time for the likes of you or I would disperse. But rest assured, I will return to mop up."

With that, Krendez turned and disappeared into the shadows.

Jerome limped over to Alex's limp form before falling to his knees, a single tear dropping from his eyes.

"Alex…" he whispered, hoping against hope his friend would get up.

"He is gone. You must move on." Haavok's hand rested on Jerome shoulder comfortingly, "If you wish to avenge him you must come with me. I have a means by which you may attain your revenge."

Jerome got up, nodding as he did so. As Haavok guided him away from the alley, he stopped to look back one more time.

"Hurry, young one—the police are almost here,"

Turning, Jerome dashed off after the Guardian.

A/N: Yes. I just killed off Alex. Apparently, he was quite a popular character. Good, 'cos that means you will feel his death. Anyways, I also feel bad for killing the most likeable character off. ;(

But then again, character death is a necessary evil to attain at least some semblence of realism in any fanfic. No battle has ever been fought without someone dying. So yeah, his death was necessary because he isn't a main protagonist now.

So now, Alex is dead, Karl is incapacitated and injured, Toa Haavok is injured and so is Jerome. And boy did they leave a ton of shit for the police (attempt) to clear.

P.S. Just so you know, my crossover fic will take a back seat on update priority. This fic still comes first!

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