Chapter Three
DEEP BLUE RESCUE
Magic had an important role throughout Earth's many societies. Materia was a godsend to the people although scientists replaced any and all entities of the divine. Simple healing spells replaced bandages and disinfectants. An accomplished wielder of Materia could cure any disease with the right spell. Realizing the potential maelstrom of chaos that could easily envelop the planet, governments with exceptional access to Materia outlawed free use of the more dangerous spells. This law was not difficult to enforce since most people lacked the technological equipment to recover the unstable ore. Fewer still were people outside the government who possessed the knowledge and or technology to process the raw ore into safe usable orbs.
As one would expect, however, overtime certain individuals have gained access to powerful spells. Soon more and more traumatic incidents began to spread from country to country. To counter this instability, several governments outlawed the use of Materia containing elemental attack spells. Government officials found that detaining anyone with power over the elements was more than a difficult challenge. Hundreds of local peacekeepers met their end by the hand of just one outlawed Materia user. Thousands of military units across the globe were devastated beyond recovery.
To combat the new more powerful generation of thieves and murderers, desperate politicians quickly passed an order to create a new branch of the military. Hundreds of soldiers were drafted from the Air Force, Navy, Rangers, and Special Forces. Every branch contributed its best and brightest. The first country to successfully train and dispatch the first of these new soldiers was Japan. Powerful though the soldiers were, with almost all of Japan's military might depleted, assistance from other nations was reluctantly accepted. America, Britain, and Vandaria had few armed forces remaining as well, however; their combined strength was enough to help Japan's elemental soldiers, later named Techmages, defeat the ever-growing crime wave spread throughout the globe.
Vandaria's Techmage training facility was built several years after each government reclaimed world stability. Representatives from Japan were sent to the newly formed facility to jump-start the training process. Remembering the mistakes of the past, Vandarians kept the newly christened Twilight Dragon Academy hidden from the rest of the world. Windowless shuttles transported foreign ambassadors to and from the academy. Not even normal Vandarian citizens knew of its location.
Once trained, a Techmage rejoined the military but not their original unit. Instead, ninety percent of their missions over a set period of time were usually carried out alone. Although becoming a Techmage did not raise a soldier's original rank, special freedoms were given to the elemental agents such as the authority over any situation involving combat against an elemental criminal or another Techmage.
Deep within Mandrake City, magic capital of Vandaria, a Techmage facility shined brightly amongst its skyscraping brethren. A dark murky blue wrapped in black and white stripes covered the skyscraper. This technological wonder, equipped with the latest structure defense weapons and systems was Vandaria's Techmage Headquarters. Although the training facility stayed hidden from the world, Techmage HQ was one of the most powerful forces on the planet.
Loud clicks echoed from the bottoms of two white high heels covered by a long white robe. Two golden pieces of cotton fabric that extended halfway down the robe were stitched into the left and right sides of the white cloth. Short red hair rested on top of a female head. Behind her a large plasma screen constructed into the wall flashed on, displaying a sharp image of Marotherma Labs. One enormous dome facility surrounded by twenty slightly smaller dome facilities surrounded by hundreds of smaller dome facilities pulsed with activity on the ocean floor.
"It's under their control now ladies and gentlemen." The woman stated as she slowly rested her hands at the small of her back. "Yen opened the door and now the Kazunians are stealing our Leviathan Materia deposits."
"Actually, Linda, if you think about it…they weren't really ours to begin with." A voice flowed from a man with green hair wearing a brown overcoat into thirteen different sets of ears.
Linda scoffed at the remark. "We found the cavern so its contents are ours."
Serge shrugged. "Whatever you say."
"Pardon me but, do you not zink zat twelve Techmagez ziz zee overkill, no?" A woman with long purple hair and brown eyes asked.
Linda let the question hang in the air for a moment. "I realize a full squadron of Techmages hasn't been required for any situation for the last fifty years." She faced the screen. "However, I'm sure you all realize that if the imperials have even one of their own Techmages down there then it is almost certain that they now have control over Leviathan."
"If we did manage to process any of the red stuff then it would have been locked in storage, which if I remember can't be opened even with the more powerful attack spells." Sena pointed out.
"Not to mention our equipment can't be operated without special access codes." Serge added.
"They could have brought in their own equipment and forced the access codes out of one of the researchers." A man seated behind Sena pointed out.
Linda nodded. "Yes…if the Kazunians have Leviathan…" Her strict expression faced the group of Techmages. "They could wipe you all out along with Marotherma with just one attack."
The dark briefing room fell silent for a handful of seconds then Linda continued. "Just remember, if they are holding hostages, their safety takes the highest priority."
"I think command would disagree with you on that one." A woman added.
Linda's lips formed a smirk as her blue eyes centered on the woman's green eyes. "Too bad for them…they have no say in this."
Cel Solaria: Southeast Quadrant
Serge slowly walked down the halls of the Techmage HQ. His hand gently ran down one of the blue walls as his gaze rose from the floor to the ceiling. "It's been a long time, Cel Solaria"
"If you miss it so much you shouldn't have left." Sena's voice echoed from behind Serge.
Serge only smirked and continued to reminisce in his past life. "Too many spells."
Sena stepped up beside Serge and her eyes followed his hand along the wall. "Why did you leave anyway?"
"It's not as complicated as you might think. Just a what's the point complex." Serge answered.
"So you got tired of following orders?"
"I don't have a big problem with following orders if they're worth following."
Sena's arms folded at the end of Serge's last sentence. "Most soldiers know that they'll never really know what the hell's going on."
"I know, Rillian, but most soldiers use the excitement of the job to drown out the pointlessness of it. For me…the excitement backfired. I guess I just got tired of all the spells."
Confusion and curiosity swirled through Sena's mind. "Too many spells…"
"Zere you are!" A soft female voice called out. Sweat dripped from underneath long bouncing purple hair in between two brown eyes onto the tips of two flared nostrils. "I finally found you."
"Found who?" Sena wondered.
Two plastic rectangular pads followed the tired woman's answer. "Meeztrezz Linda zought it vwould be zee good ztrategy to also ztudy alliez inztead of juzt enemiez."
Serge gazed down at the pad given to him. A small square shaped screen blipped on at the press of a button. "Is this…?"
"An N.M.?" Sena finished her friend's question.
"Yez." The Techmage answered.
Serge thought for a moment then smirked as familiar faces lined up across the small screen. "I get it. Our personal stat profiles are classified information, even to our immediate commanders."
Several answers to many questions flowed into Sena's mind. "Right…they don't want enemies knowing who can do what so they keep it a secret."
"Eczactly." The purple haired woman confirmed. "We aren't allowed to record our own ztatuz. However, enemy zcoutz who have obzerved uz in combat have taken accurate notez of our abilitiez."
"Yeah I heard about those guys, what were they called again…spell recorders?" Sena wondered.
Serge chuckled as he nodded. "Linda figured since we can't write everything down, why not let the enemy do it for us?" His face formed a slight frown. "The info on me is a little outdated though."
Sena slapped Serge's left shoulder. "Well what do you expect? You haven't had an official or unofficial assignment for the last three years."
Serge sighed with a smile on his face as he accessed the status information on one of his squad members. A young woman with long purple hair, brown eyes, and a playful smile stood casually on the small screen. A short list of information quickly typed itself onto the right side of the screen beside her. A small multicolored pie chart formed above the white lettered words.
Name: Cynthia Bevelle
Gender: Female
Birth: 5-17-3886
Techmage Rank: 3rd Class
Standard Role: Attack
Flame Affinity: 10%
Lighting Affinity: 5%
Ice Affinity: 85%
Earth Affinity: 32%
Offensive Weapon: Chakra
Defensive Weapon: None
Accessory: Gold Armlet
Materia: Fire Level: 2 Lightning Level: 1 Ice Level: Max Earth Level: 3 Time Level: Max Restore Level: Max Heal Level: Max
Summon Materia: Shiva Level: 3
Serge gazed up at Cynthia who was smiling at him. "An attacker, huh? You don't strike me as the violent type."
"Only vwhen I'm provoked." Cynthia giggled then walked away from Serge and Sena.
Sena positioned herself closer to Serge then tapped a few buttons underneath the screen on his data card. "Nifty little gadget these net monitors are."
Both Techmages stared down at the status information of their fellow squad members as well as their own.
Name: Matthew Serge
Gender: Male
Birth: 3884
Techmage Rank: 1st Class
Standard Role: Attack
Flame Affinity: 20%
Lightning Affinity: 40%
Ice Affinity: 100%
Earth Affinity: 12%
Offensive Weapon: Double Edge Katana 12 Gauge Shotgun
Defensive Weapon: Arm Shield
Accessory: 2 Crystal Bangles
Materia: Fire Level: Max Lightning Level: Max Ice Level: Max Earth Level 1 Double Cut: Max All Level: Max Barrier Level: Max Restore Level: Max
Summon Materia: Shiva Level: Max
Name: Rillian Sena
Gender: Female
Birth: 3889
Techmage Rank: 2nd Class
Standard Role: Attack
Flame Affinity: 5%
Lightning Affinity: 90%
Ice Affinity: 35%
Earth Affinity: 72%
Offensive Weapon: 2 Curved Double Edged Daggers
Defensive Weapon: None
Accessory: Aurora Armlet
Materia: Lightning Level: Max Ice Level: 2 Earth Level: Max Mystify Level: Max Slash All Level: 1 All Level: Max
Summon Materia: Ramuh Level: Max Titan Level: 4
"Hmm…when the hell did they get all this info on me?" Sena wondered.
"That sense Materia can be a bitch." Serge stated.
"I just hope these guys know who has top claim to Ramuh on this mission." Sena's arms folded as she finished her sentence.
Loud laughter erupted from Serge as a male Techmage flashed onto his data card screen. "That would be…Mark Render. One hundred percent affinity to lightning."
"What!" Sena smashed the buttons of her net monitor until Mark's image materialized onto the screen. Even though it was only a digitized photo, Sena felt as if Mark's cocky grin was directed personally at her. "That bastard…"
"Do you even know this guy?" Serge asked.
"I will soon." Sena replied.
Cel Solaria: Engineering Bay
"Let's go pick it up!" A deep unnerving female voice boomed over the unnatural ambience generated by hundreds of mechanics operating thousands of complex machines. "Pick it up!"
"Eh! I'm workin' as fast as I can over here!" An annoyed male voice shot back.
"We all are!" Another male voice, this one more groggy than annoyed added.
One man, covered in a long coat as black as a starless night stood still in the center of Cel Solaria's most highly respected maintenance bay. His coat fluttered as his arms rose and his black glove covered hands cupped around a silver square shaped lighter. A small flame burned the end of the cigarette trapped between the man's lips then vanished with a flick of his wrist. Before his arms returned to his side a large gust of steam and wind from one of the deep sea venturing vehicles blew back the man's coat revealing his equally darkened boots, pants, and T-shirt.
After exhaling the poisonous smoke once trapped in his lungs, the man glanced up at the submarine and the tech crew prepping the vehicle for launch. "You really don't like smokers do ya, Cid?"
Long hair extended down just below two bulging muscular shoulders. If it were not for the length of the woman's hair it would be almost impossible to recognize the blonde strands peeking out from beneath the oil, dirt, and grime that covered her. The same substances also covered most of the woman's face leaving her green eyes as the only trace of color underneath her oily bangs of hair.
The left half of the woman's mouth gave the dark figure below her a toothy grin while the other half clamped down on a large smoking cigar. Her oily hair rolled off her somewhat less grimy shoulders as she stood about six feet in height and pulled the cigar from her mouth. "Not if they're gonna smoke a lil' pussy stick like that I don't."
The dark clothed man chuckled as he pulled his own bad habit from his mouth. "Hey, watch the language" he motioned his right hand around the room "there are ladies worken around here too."
Cid let out a chuckle of her own. "Sorry, Miss Render, I didn't know you could be so easily offended."
Mark Render glanced over the submarine. Two half diamond shaped fins were on either side of the craft each equipped with its own mini chain gun on its tip and enclosed torpedo launchers near the back of the underwater wings. Between the fins, a three dimensional triangular shaped cockpit steamed every few minutes as its systems and components were fine-tuned for future use. Two mechanics worked tirelessly on top of and below each fin and in the center of them, Cid stood tall, her hands clenched into fist resting on her hips. Two dark brown gloves with an opening almost twice the size of the woman's forearms covered her hands. Oil and grime had long since darkened her once light blue overalls and the blackened pink scarf wrapped around her neck. Mark always wondered if he would still be able to distinguish Cid's gender if her breasts weren't as large as her exceptionally large muscles. Other than the two large lumps of skin pushing against her overalls, the pink scarf she wore was the only feminine asset the senior mechanic ever flaunted.
"You know…" Mark let out another small cloud of smoke "what's with you and that thing anyway?" He fingered the filthy article of clothing around the mechanic's neck.
Cid glanced down at the scarf while exhaling a large gust of smoke then without removing the cigar from her mouth, let her gaze return to the man standing below her. "What?" Her head tilted slightly to the left. "A gal can't accessorize?"
Smoke filled the air as Mark and Cid both laughed.
"Ramuh is mine!" A furious authority filled voice echoed just above the loud activity of the maintenance bay.
Startled by the sheer hostility carried by a female voice other than Cid's, Mark flinched, almost choking on his cigarette smoke as he faced the origin of the shout. Two purple eyes focused an intense gaze through Mark's bewildered gaze. "Uh, lady can I help you with something?" Mark asked as politely as his upbringing would allow.
Rillian Sena put her best intimidating stance to use and folded her arms as Serge finally caught up to her gasping for air. "You're Mark Render?" The sentence was more of an accusation than a question.
"And you are?" This not being the first time an attractive woman had emptied her frustrations onto him, Mark had little trouble keeping his composure.
"I'll tell you who I am God damnit I'm the Techmage who's gonna have first claim to Ramuh on this mission!" Sena shouted.
Mark glanced up at Cid, who had instinctively sensed that the angry female would single out Mark and was pretending to be distracted by her work, which Mark new she could do blindfolded. "Ok…" His stare returned to Sena "and the reason I would have a problem with that would be…?"
Sena frowned at the question. "You think I don't know about your one-hundred percent affinity to lightning?"
Mark's lips formed a sly smirk as the logic of the situation finally settled over his brain. "Oh is that what all this is about? Look girly, I don't care about the old man or any other anomaly." He clenched the cigarette between his teeth as he smiled. "As the clothes would imply, black magic is my forte. Never could get used to the drain summoning puts on you." Relief failed to settle over the Black Mage, as Sena's anger seemed to increase. "Now what?"
Sena lowered her stare to the ground while turning her head in Serge's direction. "Did he just call me girly?"
Serge nodded as he took a step back then stared up at Mark with a hint of pity behind his eyes. "I think so."
"Did he just call me girly?" Sena repeated.
"Yeah he just called you girly." Serge confirmed.
Sena's stare transformed into a murderous glare as Mark returned to her line of sight. Lighting sparked from behind her eyes as she spoke. "Did you just call me…girly!"
Unconsciously, Mark's mouth dropped open and his cigarette fell to the steel floor. "You know, I just met you…and the fact that you're hot just takes all the surprise out of this whole situation. Pretty women just don't like me."
Mark heard Cid's laughter over Sena's infuriated growl. "Hey lover boy, I don't like you either!"
Three seconds later a lightning lit fist smashed into Mark's face knocking him unconscious.
Marotherma Labs: Processing Chamber
Deep beneath the ocean, well within Vandaria's borderline, Kazunian born attack vessels patrolled the dome-roofed labs resting on the ocean floor. Their design didn't differ too much from that of Vandaria's submarines but instead of sleek blue steel plating, a rough crimson design laced with waves of purple decorated the armor of these vehicles. Twelve large submarines lined the sandy ocean floor. These vessels took on a wider cylinder shape to compensate for the massive cargo they carried.
Inside the center dome, which stood three times higher and four times wider than the other labs, thirty Kazunian soldiers secured the high-tech facility and the fifty scientists that once operated the machines.
"Overconfidence…my superiors thought this mission would be over three days ago. We knew this cluster of labs lay beneath Tanka outpost." A male voice flowed over the deadly silence generated from the current situation. "Send down a few scout Shredders, find its location, and take the Leviathan Materia." He let a small chuckle escape his chest then scoffed at his mission briefing. "You brainy bastards…this place isn't even cloaked and it still took us two days just to find it." The blue boot on his right foot slammed into one of the many defeated security robots scattered around the floor. "Another two days to secure all of these labs…" His dark caramel eyes centered on the group of scientists. "And now here we are, on the second day of interrogating…" The blue leather jacket covering the blue shirt underneath cringed as he ran his left hand through his long black hair.
Above the Kazunians inside one of the hundreds of ventilation shafts networked throughout Marotherma, a small girl gazed out at the imperial controlled situation. "Why? How?" She whispered to herself. The tiny glasses covering her eyes slid down then stopped on the tip of her small nose and would have fallen through the vent had it not been for her short fingers positioning the spectacles back over her face. Thousands of questions ran through the girl's mind as to why a battalion of Kazunians had taken over Marotherma, how they found the laboratory, and how she could help the prisoners trembling on the steel floors beneath her. She winced at the sound of a clenched fist connecting with a scientist's face. Shock exploded inside of her as the interrogator grabbed a young woman by the hair, pulling her to the front of the group of hostages. Mom! It took every ounce of the girl's self-control to suppress the shouting her body demanded to release its emotions. Somehow, she managed to quell her screams, reducing them to a quiet whimper.
Sky blue pants with a dark blue camouflage design filled the young scientist's vision. On each side of the pants a silver device rested latched onto a black belt. The scientist couldn't identify either weapon as a Chakra or handgun.
With a flick of the wrist, the interrogator snapped the woman's head back, forcing her terrified eyes to be filled with his intimidating glare. "The code…"
Fear forced a gulp out of the scientist. "I don't…I don't know the code."
"Dr. Sanz…" The battalion commander pulled a small data card from his pocket and positioned it in front of the woman's face. "I know exactly who you are and what you do down here. No beast or Materia sample leaves these laboratories without your permission or the permission of your late colleague, Dr. Razenof."
For a few moments, Dr. Sanz's vision was filled with her memory of Marotherma's head scientist being frozen to death by a spell cast from the interrogator standing in front of her. "Monster…"
"Yes you would recognize one wouldn't you." The Techmage retorted.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Sanz tried her best to stall her captors hoping some form of help would arrive.
Keeping a firm grip on the woman's hair, the Kazunian Techmage turned to the side and held the view of bio containment tanks up with his free hand. "Your Materia research mutates Earth's creatures into unnatural monstrosities. Instead of letting them be, you pluck them from their homes, dissect and experiment with them, then murder them once you've finished gathering your precious data."
"We may murder animals but we at least have respect for human life!" Sanz shot back. She tried her best to sound as honest as she was intense but it was hard for her to believe her own words.
The Techmage's laughter signified his disbelief of Sanz's claim. "Your stalling attempt is admirable…but I've had enough of this place."
A bright green glow emitted from the device attached to the right side of the Techmage's belt. His hand sunk deep into the weapon and wrapped around its handle. The commander aimed the barrel of the weapon at one of the many vents located on the roof of the facility. Ice. A bluish mist swirled around the entire device then shot forward in a long line and did not disperse until it hit the vent. After several seconds of cringing and crackling, the roof gave way and shattered under the weight of the eavesdropper above the scientists and soldiers.
"Ahh!" The girl yelped as the shaft broke away beneath her.
Although several shards of icy steel sparkled above her, the only thing Dr. Sanz saw was the small girl, nearly eighty feet in the air, falling towards the floor. "Clara!"
The line of mist still generated from the Techmage's weapon. He skillfully directed the spell behind and below the girl then pulled his arm back. An ice slide formed beneath the girl and she slid safely to the ground, coming to a halt at the commander's feet. The Techmage released Dr. Sanz and a cynical smile crept onto his face as he watched the defeated woman crush her daughter against her chest with a warm embrace.
"I think you know where things go from here, Dr. Sanz." The commander said coldly.
None of the employees working at Marotherma were willing to risk their lives to protect their research. Dr. Sanz was no different, and now she knew that the Kazunian in front of her would threaten the life of her daughter if pushed too far. "Power within the mind." She finally revealed. "Put a 3 in between the first two letters…then a four and then a five…repeat until the last two letters." Her gaze lowered to the floor. "Place a star there."
The Techmage turned to the senior officer inside the laboratory. "Do it."
The design of Marotherma's main laboratory was similar to that of Tanka outpost, however, instead of having hundreds of tanks lining the back walls, a massive ore processing machine shot steam from its left and right sides. Two rectangular pillars built into the floor stretched twelve feet forward, extending from a thirty by thirty-two-foot square body. As the Kazunian officer typed in Dr. Sanz's code, steam shot from either side of the ore processor and the device split in half, the top half rising forty-three feet into the air.
A satisfied grin spread across the Techmage's lips as the steam swirled around his legs. "Thank you, doctor."
Dr. Sanz glared up at her captor with murderous intent flashing behind her eyes. "Who…who are you?"
Before he answered, the Techmage gave a quick hand signal to one of the many imperial squads spread throughout the laboratory. "Why Dr. Sanz, do you posses latent psychic abilities? I was just about to introduce myself." His overconfident smirk met every Vandarian inside the laboratory. "My name is, Koren Danton…however on the battlefield, I am known as…Chaos Blue."
The name rang in Dr. Sanz's mind while pure terror destroyed every emotion inside of her. "C…Chaos Blue."
Clara gazed up at her mother and the woman's stare filled her with an unsettling confusion. "Mom…?"
Clara's voice brought Dr. Sanz's mind back to Marotherma and her eyes centered on Koren's eyes. "Please…not her. Please let my daughter go…she's only seven years old! She's no threat to you or the Empire!"
"I have no doubt in my mind concerning that…however, I am one of the few adults remaining in this world who do not judge a person's ability based solely on their age."
Koren's heartless demeanor infuriated Dr. Sanz and the once timid woman of science became a raving beast with one purpose, the death of Chaos Blue. Her sensual voice produced a ferocious growl and her once human presence shifted to that of a wild cat driven insane by the instinctual need to protect the life of her young. Koren took two graceful steps back skillfully avoiding Dr. Sanz's blind teary-eyed attacks. The uniquely designed weapon attached to his arm rose in front of the scientist. The Chakram inserted above the chamber of the device spun rapidly as a bright blue glow engulfed it. Two seconds later the steel cutting circular blade launched from the weapon.
As quickly as Dr. Sanz's enraged attack began, the Chakram silenced her screams and stopped her movements. The bladed circle whirled through the air prompting many of the Vandarians and Kazunians to lower their heads then returned to Koren and the Techmage caught his weapon with his weapon. Three seconds of silence hovered over the lab before the polyester coat arm unthreaded and fell to the floor. Dr. Sanz only stared out blankly at the massive double door entrance to the center lab dome. Clara's gaze was redirected to her mother's arm as the lab coat fragment hit the floor. The small girl's eyes reflected the scientist's skin neatly ripping apart above the elbow just below the shoulder. A crimson liquid squirted onto Clara's face before gushing out onto the metal floor covering the reflection of her horrified expression.
Dr. Sanz felt nothing at first, continuing to stare at the lab entrance. The scientist's green pupils shrank into tiny insignificant dots and her one remaining arm grasped what was left of her severed arm. Overwhelmed with shock and agony the defeated woman let out three shrieking cries of torment before fainting, splashing in a large puddle of her own blood.
"Mom!" Clara's voice was distorted with pain and fear.
The imperials returned to Koren with one red Materia orb neatly inserted into an adamantium case with a cushioned filling. The Techmage lifted the orb from the case and slowly held it up to his eyes. A confident chuckle escaped him as he peered inside the shining Materia. Two long blue whiskers wavered in front of a long pointed snout. Leviathan's intimidating gaze shot through the red barrier of the Materia and its snake like body slithered by Koren's line of sight. His hand grasped around the Materia as his lips formed an overconfident smirk.
"Now…" Koren turned to a unique squad of Kazunians stationed inside the lab equipped with long iron rods with crystal tips. "Bring them."
The squad commander nodded to Koren then turned to his unit. "Release the mutations into the main lab!"
"Good Vandarians of Marotherma…the time has come for us to part ways."
Ocean Floor
A dim underwater world pulsed with amphibious activity. Thousands of Earth's seafaring creatures sparkled under the weak light that managed to reach the ocean floor. An enormous school of small fish split in two at the sight of a much larger creature. This beast harbored two short bulging claws on either side of the front end of its body. The back end of the beast harbored two half-diamond fins that cut the water as the creature glided through the ocean.
"Look at it…hey…hey, hey! They're leaving they're getting ready to leave!" A human voice shouted.
"No! Shit they must already have Leviathan!" A female voice panicked.
"We don't know that for sure, Rillian." Serge commented.
"Why else would they leave?" Sena wondered.
"Maybe zey vwere zee bored?" Cynthia suggested.
"Commander Devron, I don't think we're gonna have enough time to covert our entry." Sena Stated.
"No…really? Ok stealth just got knocked out of the Materia slot people. We got two priorities, rescue any survivors and take back the Leviathan." Devron ordered.
"Yeah…how…how exactly are we supposed to get the hostages out?" One of the Techmages wondered.
"Hey genius, there are over twelve subs down there, take your pick!" Mark pointed out.
Devron smirked as the eleven Techmages Linda put under his command positioned their Switchblades in a standard attack formation behind his own Switchblade submarine. "This is a one way trip for the Switchblades. No time to finesse this one. Bust through and spread out!" A small whirlpool of water erupted behind ten of the Switchblades approaching Marotherma.
Serge gazed out at the bright technological wonder known as Marotherma Labs. "I forgot how intense this can get…"
"Matt…we haven't even started the mission yet." Sena commented.
"Hey, Rillian." Serge's voice lost it's usual carefree tone.
"What is it, Matt?" Rillian let her voice flow softly without holding back her feminine nature.
"Be careful…" Serge's Switchblade blasted forward joining the rest of the Techmage squadron.
Sena gazed out at Serge's Switchblade for a handful of moments then activated her vehicle's own jet propulsion system.
Marotherma Labs: Processing Chamber
"Wake up…mom wake up!" Clara pleaded.
"Why did she tell them you're only seven?" One of the male scientists asked.
"Because she thought they might show mercy to a helpless child." Clara thought back to how many times her small size aided her in hiding her true age of fourteen. A gurgled moan from Dr. Sanz brought her mind back to the current situation. "Mom! We have to get out of here!"
"Dr. Sanz's eyes slowly peeled back and her pupils rolled down and refocused themselves to the bright lights of the laboratory. "Wha…what?" Blood and pain shocked the scientist's mind for a few moments before her slightly blurred vision centered on her once decapitated arm, which was now reattached and fully healed. Her gaze rose to her daughter. "How?"
Clara held up her wrist and shook the small silver bracelet clasped around it. "Simple cure spell." She smiled then pushed her glasses back onto her face.
Loud ferocious snarls and growls echoed from behind one of the laboratory's side entrances while all of the surviving scientists and technicians crowded together around the main exit to the lab. "Damnit it's locked!" Clara screamed.
"What did you think they were going to do?" A terrified technician shouted.
"There's only one way out of here…" Clara turned to the now open side exit and the source of the primal screams.
Hundreds of different creatures from the land, sea, and air exploded through the open double doorway. Clara trembled along with the other defenseless humans huddled against the locked doors.
Lupine…Sahagin…Scissors…Parasites…Allemagne…and…and…a…Dark Dragon! Wait! There's something else…what is that? Some kind of Machine…
Sahagin: Small amphibious creature with a round ringed body, flat fins with three razor sharp grooves. Two green dilated eyes rest above a large nose with two nostrils. Two rows of sharp fangs hide a large flat tongue.
Lupine: a four legged, furless wolf beast with gray skin and two bright red streaks running down its back. Claws attached to each toe, and sharp fangs surround a long flat tongue.
Parasite: Small flat bodied creature with no fur. A small collage of different colors decorates the center of its back. The rest of it is grayish blue with no arms or legs. Only a short tail with a flat tip extends from its back.
Scissors: Tall humanoid creature with pale white skin. Each limb junction harbors no skin and its red pulsing muscles shine brightly even in pitch-black darkness. Eight inch curved blades serve as six of the creature's fingers ad toes.
Allemagne: Large monstrous head with one large eye with a bright red pupil. Yellow skin covers its entire form except for the wings connected to either side of its head. Purple skin glows underneath the creature's bat like wings. A short thin tail slithers underneath the creature.
Armored Golem: Large brown machine with humanoid form. Motherboard pulses with activity on the center of its chest.
Dark Dragon: Enormous horned dragon with dark purple armored skin. Golden skin covers the bottom half of its body.
The Armored Golem began to glow and a bright orange aura of light swirled around its body. Clara's small eyes widened behind her glasses, which fell down to her nose. "Oh no…" A huge umbrella shaped fireball formed in front of the Armored Golem then blasted towards the group of hostages. Clara held her hands up in fear, then, three seconds before the fireball incinerated her and the other humans she forced her mind into focus. "M Barrier!" A multicolored field of light surrounded the group of civilians. The Armored Golem's attack smashed into the barrier. Three seconds passed and the dome of light remained strong and steady. Five more seconds passed and the light began to bend inward towards Clara.
"She can't hold it!" One of the technicians screamed.
"We're all going to die!" A scientist shouted.
"Clara, hold on!" Dr. Sanz frantically glanced around for anything she could use to help her daughter.
I can't hold it… Small tears began to sprout around Clara's arms and blood sprinkled back onto her clothes.
Most of the monsters inside the laboratory had gathered outside of the weak barrier Clara constructed around her fellow Vandarians, anxiously awaiting the dome's collapse. Some of the sharpened eyes inside the heads of the mutated monstrosities rose at the feint sound of water being shredded. Twelve Switchblade attack submarines filled their vision.
Ocean Floor: Above Marotherma Labs Processing Chamber
Commander Devron gazed out at the current situation inside Marotherma then frowned as he felt his anger reach its breaking point. "Kazunian bastards! What the hell did they unleash this time?" His finger slammed onto a bright red button near his HUD screen. "Render! You're up!"
"Roger that, sir." Mark grinned sadistically at the creatures swarming around the laboratory. His Switchblade shot forward ahead of Devron. A deadly blue aura surrounded Mark's craft and three seconds later an electrical current exploded from the two fins on the back end of the submarine. Mark emptied his Switchblade's entire arsenal into the dome, barely denting its protective glass plating and with the combined strength of the spell he cast, smashed through the dome. At the same time, Clara fell to her knees no longer able to repel the force of the Armored Golem's attack. Mark ejected from his Switchblade and the craft, still charged with the Techmage's spell merged with the Armored Golem's fireball and crashed into the machine itself. The resulting explosion vaporized many of the small Parasites and Sahagins scattered around the laboratory.
Clara gazed up at the black clothed figure soaring above her. Mark spun through the air as the dome exploded behind him in a sparkling display of glass, water, and electricity. A silent thud echoed from beneath Mark's feet as he slid to a stop in front of the group of monsters. His back turned to the beasts and after every Techmage piloted Switchblade smashed through the dome he held his right hand up at the wall of water about to crash into the laboratory. Wall. A silver diamond spun in front of the rushing water then split and unfolded over every hole in the dome roof. A rainbow of color shined over the barrier and the rumbling dome silenced and settled.
Name: Mark Render
Gender: Male
Birth: 3884
Techmage Rank: 1st Class
Standard Role: Attack
Flame Affinity: 70%
Lightning Affinity: 100%
Ice Affinity: 60%
Earth Affinity: 75%
Offensive Weapon: None
Defensive Weapon: None
Accessory: 2 Mystile
Materia: Fire Level: Max Lightning Level: Max Ice Level: Max Earth Level: Max All Level: Max Barrier Level: Max Restore Level: Max Heal Level: Max MP Turbo Level: Max MP-HP Absorb Level: Max Comet Level: Max Time Level: Max Destruct Level: Max
Summon Materia: None
"Someone back me up!" Mark shouted.
"I got you covered!" Cynthia flipped from the seat of her Switchblade. Flame Embodiment!
One of the many Lupine prowling around the laboratory centered its murderous gaze on Mark's back. The beast lowered its body to the floor then lunged forward towards its potential meal. Cynthia landed beside Mark and slid to a halt four feet behind him. A second later flames erupted from her entire body then gathered around her feet, calves, forearms, and fists. Her body sprung to the side performing a vicious kick instantly killing the attacking Lupine.
"Thanks, princess." Mark smirked as he turned facing the monsters.
Cynthia only smiled and nodded as the ten other Techmages landed beside Mark.
"I don't know about the rest of you." One of the male Techmages commented. "But the sight of all this fish is making me hungry."
"Oh go ahead, Jerome. Eat the fish. The normal radioactivity alone will turn your stomach inside out." Another Techmage, Daniel Tenner warned.
Two of the humanoid Scissors creatures hissed at the conversing humans.
"Hey Daniel, I think they like you. I think they wanna be your friend." Jerome joked.
Daniel only gave him a brief glare of disbelief before they both faced the monsters.
Daniel: Aero
Jerome: Ice
Two separate auras of light swirled around Daniel and Jerome. A few seconds later a green whirlwind of air exploded from Daniel's hands and wrapped itself around the Scissors creatures. As the powerful winds ripped open hundreds of small wounds around the creature's bodies, a blue mist sprouted from Jerome's hands and combined with the green twister, turning the Scissors into ice statues. As the Aero spell weakened the Scissors hit the floor, shattering into thousands of pieces.
Name: Jerome Transon
Gender: Male
Birth: 3889
Techmage Rank: 2nd Class
Standard Role: Attack
Flame Affinity: 3%
Lightning Affinity: 20%
Ice Affinity: 85%
Earth Affinity: 12%
Offensive Weapon: 2 Sub Machine Guns
Defensive Weapon: None
Accessory: None
Materia: Ice Level: Max Earth Level: 1 All Level: Max Restore Level: 2 Heal Level 2 Destruct Level: Max
Summon Materia: Shiva Level: Max
Name: Daniel Tenner
Gender: Male
Birth: 3887
Techmage Rank: 2nd Class
Standard Role: Attack
Flame Affinity: 20%
Lightning Affinity: 9%
Ice Affinity: 30%
Earth Affinity: 85%
Offensive Weapon: Broadsword
Defensive Weapon: Arm Shield
Accessory: 2 Crystal Bangles
Materia: Fire Level: 1 Ice Level: 2 Earth Level: Max Double Cut Level: 2 All Level: Max Barrier Level: Max Restore Level: 2
Summon Materia: Typhoon: Max
Daniel gave Jerome a thumbs up gesture. "Nice." Before he could receive a reply, one of the many Parasites in the laboratory latched onto his face. "Oh what the hell?" The sharp claws attached to the Parasite's mouth dug deep into Daniel's jaws. His words were warped into agonized screams as his body fell limp to the floor.
"Daniel!" Jerome shouted. The gargantuan Dark Dragon that stomped in front of him halted his dash to his friend. Jerome slowly gazed up into the beast's soulless eyes. "Holy…" One swipe from the dragon's massive claws reduced the shocked Techmage to a splatter of flesh and bones on the steel floor.
One of the female Techmages, Jenevia Zalen, gazed out in disbelief at her fallen comrade. "Mutha…" Before she could launch any form of attack on the Dark Dragon, her peripheral vision brought a silently prowling Lupine into view. Haste. After taking one step forward, Jenevia launched herself sideways into the air and spun out of the way of the Lupine's pounce. As her body soared through the air with blinding speed, a small ball of fire shot passed her then slammed into the Lupine's mouth causing the beast to incinerate from the inside out. Jenevia landed gracefully then glanced back at the source of the fireball.
"Thanks, Riko." Jenevia smiled.
The cheerful Techmage of the squadron, Riko Sudan, smiled and gave Jenevia a thumbs up gesture. "S'ok."
Name: Riko Sudan
Gender: Female
Birth: 3893
Techmage Rank: 1st Class
Standard Role: Support
Flame Affinity: 20%
Lightning Affinity: 90%
Ice Affinity: 45%
Earth Affinity: 12%
Offensive Weapon: None
Defensive Weapon: None
Accessory: 2 Minerva Bands
Materia: Fire Level: 2 Lightning Level: Max Ice Level: Max Earth Level: 2 All level: Max Barrier Level: Max
Summon Materia: Ramuh Level: 3
Name: Jenevia Zalen
Gender: Female
Birth: 3891
Techmage Rank: 1st Class
Standard Role: Support
Flame Affinity: 10%
Lightning Affinity: 10%
Ice Affinity: 14%
Earth Affinity: 12%
Offensive Weapon: Nine-Millimeter Berreta Handgun
Defensive Weapon: arm Shield
Accessory: 1 Aegis Amulet
Materia: Fire Level: 1 Lightning Level: 1 Ice Level: 2 Earth Level: 3 All Level: Max Barrier Level: Max Restore Level: Max Heal Level: Max Destruct Level: Max Time Level: Max
Summon Materia: Phoenix Level: Max
Mathew Serge and Rillian Sena casually walked forward through the battle between their squadron and the monsters. They both stepped to the side as Commander Devron and Mark Render stepped in-between them. All four Techmages gazed up at the Dark Dragon glaring down at them.
Mark titled his head in Sena's direction without removing his stare from the Dragon. "You think you can handle this guy? Or do you need him to call you girly too?"
Sena frowned at the black mage then glared at the Dragon. "Keep him away from me, Devron."
"Yes ma'am." Devron chuckled.
"So…who's it gonna be?" Serge asked.
"Are you crazy? Just about any anomaly brought out here would bring the whole place down. That barrier doesn't have much longer either, I only had enough time to reinforce it twice. I'd say we got about twenty minutes before this section of the complex becomes a fish tank." Mark warned.
Serge gave Mark a brief glance of annoyance then returned his stare to the dragon. "I meant, who's the bait?"
"Well…" Sena drew her daggers. "Seeing as how I'm faster than all three of you combined."
"All right, Sena, you're up." Devron ordered.
Immediately after Sena darted forward, the Dark Dragon swung its body around and whipped its massive spiked tail towards the blue haired Techmage. Sena leapt into the air then flipped forward sliding the edge of her right dagger along the dragon's neck as it came around. She gritted her teeth in frustration, as the dragon's neck remained unharmed.
While the beast glared down at Sena, Mark planted his feet firmly onto the floor then held his right hand up in front of the dragon. Lightning Storm…no ahh…I only got one thing better but I shouldn't need it…all right then…Lightning Storm! A blue aura the same color as the aura surrounding Mark wavered above the Dark Dragon. Five seconds later a collage of lightning bolts thicker than Earth's most dense forests shot down from the aura into the Dark Dragon. Sena dived out of the way of the powerful blast barely escaping the electric inferno. The following explosion shook the dome but the barrier remained strong and steady.
"Hey you almost killed me you bastard!" Sena's voice shot through the smoke into Mark's ears.
"You know what, being the hero that slayed the dragon makes taking her bad attitude more than worth it." Mark smirked. The ground shook under the black mage's feet. Seconds later the smoke dispersed in every direction as the Dark Dragon let out an ear-piercing roar that shook the laboratory. Mark sighed in annoyance. "I just can't win."
Serge drew his Katana at the sight of three Sahagins and six Lupines gathering around the Dark Dragon. "I don't think so." Slash All. His brown trench coat fluttered from the force of the energy building inside his body. The captain's body became transparent then split into nine identical copies that all took an intimidating fighting stance. Two seconds later, Serge and his eight copies launched themselves forward sliding along the floor and then with one well placed slash, decapitated every mutated monster around the Dark Dragon. After coming to a halt, Serge pulled his shotgun from beneath his coat and as his clones vanished, fired a single round, scoring a direct hit on the dragon's face. "Oh you have got to be shitting me…" He dove out of the way as his attack caused no visible damage to the beast.
Mark glanced over at Devron. "So, now what?"
Before the commander could answer, a small girl ran up beside him. "That dragon's armor is nearly indestructible."
"Yeah…I think we figured that part out." Mark commented.
"The only way to beat it is to inflict damage somewhere other than the outside of its body." The girl explained.
"And just how do you suggest we do that?" Devron asked.
Clara folded her arms. "Hey, I'm just a scientist. Battle strategy is your area of expertise."
"Right." Devron held his forehead in his left hand. "I can't believe I'm taking battle advice from a nine year old."
"Hey! I'm fourteen!" Clara shouted.
"Really? Now I've seen everything." Mark joked. He grabbed Clara by the waist then glanced at Devron. "Look out!" Both Techmages jumped to the side as a stream of blue flame erupted from the Dark Dragon's mouth in their direction.
Devron front rolled to his feet then faced the dragon. "That's it."
Name: Roland Devron
Gender: Male
Birth: 3892
Techmage Rank: 1st Class
Standard Role: Attack
Flame Affinity: 20%
Lightning Affinity: 93%
Ice Affinity: 60%
Earth Affinity: 33%
Offensive Weapon: Retractable Lance
Defensive Weapon: None
Accessory: 1 Gold Armlet
Materia: Fire Level: 2 Lightning Level: Max Ice Level: Max Earth Level: 3 All level: Max Restore Level: Max Heal Level: Max Time Level: Max Destruct Level: Max
Summon Materia: Ramuh Level: Max
Devron held both of his hands up in front of the Dark Dragon. Slow. The monster's claw halted itself three feet away from the commander and continued moving towards him at a severely decreased rate of speed. "Do it now, Render!" Shove some rocks down this bastard's throat!"
"Roger that, boss." Mark replied. Comet Storm.
Mark faced the near immobilized dragon with a cold expression covering his face. Twenty feet above him, a black vortex with a blood red aura swirling inside of it ripped open. Above Marotherma, above the ocean, even above planet Earth in outer space, the same portal vortex ripped open among the stars. Three massive comets were pulled into the portal before it closed. Back in Marotherma the spell cast by Commander Devron began weakening just as the comets launched from the portal, one after the other. One second before the comet connected with the Dark Dragon, the now terrified beast screeched in fear and made a vein attempt at escape. The first comet to emerge from the portal smashed into the Dark Dragon's mouth, reducing its head and neck to a blood splatter of flesh. The second comet crashed into the beast's body causing the dead flesh to implode and the third comet smashed through the steel floor of the lab causing a massive explosion that incinerated what was left of the dragon.
"Mmmm barbecued dragon." Mark joked. His gaze rose to the ceiling at the sound of the dome beginning to suppress under the weight of the water pressure from the ocean. "Ok…I think it's time for us to go now."
"Maybe out of this section, but we still haven't found the Leviathan Materia." Devron commented.
"The imperials took it." Clara added.
"Damnit!" Devron shouted.
Mark glanced over at Commander Devron again. "So…now what?"
"They had only just left when you guys showed up, they couldn't have possibly gotten back to any of the exit docks yet." Clara explained.
Devron nodded to Clara as the eight remaining Techmages scattered around the lab regrouped around him. "Is he going to be ok?" Devron stared at Daniel and the two bluish wounds the Parasite inflicted on his face.
Jenevia held Daniel up with Riko's help. "Yeah I think so. That…thing…whatever the hell it was only seemed to be sedating him. It hadn't gotten around to munching on him yet. Sir, we lost Gormen…one of those white things with the claws got him in the chest. But he took it out though with a firestorm. Jerome got taken out by the big lizard."
"I think we should get Daniel checked for any kind of radiation infection when we get back." Riko suggested.
Devron nodded once more. "Agreed." His stare turned to the left. "Render, Sena, you two take the civilians to the exit dock the imperials didn't ransack."
"And which one would that be?" Mark wondered.
"They went out through the left exit so the right dock should be clear." Clara added.
"All right then get to it." Devron ordered. "Take Daniel with you, those techies can help you carry him. The rest of you are with me, we're going to take back the Materia."
"Uh, Roland…" Serge raised his right hand.
"What is it, Serge?" Devron asked.
"Yeah uh…" Serge scratched the back of his head. "What…what…what if they use the Leviathan?"
"You gotta be kidding." Riko spat out.
"Not even the Kazunians are crazy enough to use that thing underwater." Jenevia added.
Clara took one last glance at her saviors before joining the rest of the civilians. "It was Chaos Blue who took the Materia."
The Techmages all stared at each other with grim expressions covering their faces.
"Ok…" Devron glanced at the two Techmages to his left. "Handler, Fernen…"
The man and woman both stared at Devron.
Name: Shannon Handler
Gender: Female
Birth: 3880
Techmage Rank: 2nd Class
Standard Role: Support
Flame Affinity: 100%
Lightning Affinity: 12%
Ice Affinity: 3%
Earth Affinity: 8%
Offensive Weapon: Beam Crossbow
Defensive Weapon: None
Accessory: 2 Crystal Bangles
Materia: Fire Level: 3 Lightning Level: 1 Earth level: 2 All Level: Max Barrier Level: Max Restore Level: Max Heal Level: Max MP Turbo Level: 1 MP-HP Absorb Level: Max Destruct Level: Max
Summon Materia: Ifrit Level: 3
Name: Hank Fernen
Gender: Male
Birth: 3882
Techmage Rank: 1st Class
Standard Role: Attack
Flame Affinity: 14%
Lightning Affinity: 70%
Ice Affinity: 2%
Earth Affinity: 100%
Offensive Weapon: 2 Katanas
Defensive Weapon: None
Accessory: 1 Crystal Bangle
Materia: Lightning Level: Max Earth Level: Max All Level: Max Barrier Level: Max Restore Level: Max Heal Level: Max MP Turbo Level: 3 MP-HP Absorb Level: Max
Summon Materia: Titan Level: Max Ramuh Level: 2
"Yes sir?" Both Fernen and Handler replied.
"You two are taking point with Bevelle." Devron's gaze turned to Serge, Riko, and Jenevia. "Serge, You're with me. Sudan and Zalen, you two will bring up the rear." The commander turned to the right exit. "Let's move people."
Marotherma Labs: Northwestern Dock
Koren Danton held the red Materia orb stolen from the main laboratory up in front of his face. His eyes sharpened along with his sadistic grin as he heard the dome roof of the chamber succumb to the overwhelming water pressure from the ocean. "Vandarians…always the flashy entrance. I wonder how many of them were swept away…"
"Sir!" One of the imperial troopers called out to Koren.
"What is it now?" Koren griped.
"We established a camera feed into one of our subs by hacking the complex main computer."
"I know that captain, I'm the one who did it." Koren focused on the image of the creature floating inside the Materia.
"Yes sir but…I think you should take a look at this, sir!" The captain beckoned.
Koren sighed reluctantly taking his eyes off of Leviathan then stepped over to the laptop monitor the captain held. "Interesting…" His eyes scanned the civilians being led to the dock opposite of the one he stood in and the Techmages advancing towards him. "This should be entertaining."
"Sir! What about the hostages?" The captain wondered.
"Oh don't worry, I think the surprise we left in the dock should be well more than enough to handle two Vandarian Techmages." Koren chuckled.
Marotherma Labs: Northeastern Passage
"Damnit…I told him to keep you away from me." Sena said under her breath just loud enough for Mark to hear.
"Hey, can we get past the strong I don't need a man to complete me bullshit and concentrate on getting out of here alive?" Mark snapped with more authority than he intended to put in his voice.
Sena slowed her fast paced walk only for a moment while giving Mark a slightly shocked gaze before locking her emotions away inside of her. "I…fine."
"Lover's quarrel?" Clara held in a giggle.
Both Mark and Sena glared at the small lab assistant.
Clara slowed down until she was walking directly behind her mother, hidden from the Techmages. "Sorry…" She whispered meekly.
Mark sighed then glanced at Sena with an apologetic stare. "So what do you think they have waiting for us down there?" Mark tilted his head slightly in the direction of the large double doors at the end of the brightly lit tan walled hallway.
"I don't know…probably something big." Sena replied
"Hmm…maybe" Mark kept his gaze on the doors.
The massive east dock of Marotherma labs stretched almost a full mile in length and width. An enormous rectangular pool of sea water sparkled in the center of the dock with slanted ramps stretching down from each side of the floor surrounding the water. The group of surviving hostages led by the two Techmages spread out into the dock keeping their eyes pinned on the five small submarines floating around one large transport submarine.
"Yeah, like it's going to be that easy." Mark said dryly, folding his arms.
"It never is." Sena answered Mark's sarcasm with some of her own.
"Excuse me?" One of the scientists spoke up.
"What?" Mark turned to the man.
"Can you two please stop talking about this whole situation like it's some kind of virtua game? Your lives may mean nothing to you but we value ours!"
"Hey!" Mark grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt. "Shut the hell up! It's your damn fault we had to come down here to save your freak experimenting asses so don't question our methods for saving them!"
Sena let her fury subside as Mark handled the situation. He…can be something other than a jerk? "Who knew?"
"What?" Mark glanced at Sena.
Sena lowered her gaze to the floor. "Nothing."
Silently, the water inside the ramped pool began to ripple. Bubbles began rolling out from the center of the large puddle of water. Sena and Mark both let their gazes rise to the center of the pool. Slowly, a round grayish black head parted the blue murky water beside the transport submarine. A sharp slanted face with black dilated eyes and razor sharp fangs emerged from the murky depths. Two broad shoulders attached to two muscular arms appeared next.
Mark and Sena kept their eyes glued to the creature rising from the ocean. Their heads rose following the mutant until its full form came into view, standing on top of the water. As their feet moved back, the rescued hostages stepped back with them The creature stepped forward letting the water ripple beneath its feet.
"It's not that big but…" Sena managed to say.
"It doesn't have to be…the damn thing's walking on water!" Mark shouted.
"Do something!" Dr. Sanz screamed.
Mark and Sena both glanced at each other for a moment. Two seconds later Mark dashed to the left and Sena darted to the right. The creature's hands twitched as it snarled and ten nine inch nails grew from its fingertips. A second later the beast began to spin with blinding speed on top of the water with its arms extended, launching the steel cutting finger extensions into the walls of the dock, and the bodies of a few former researchers.
"Take cover!" Mark shouted while forming a barrier around himself.
The hostages all ran and ducked behind several storage crates scattered around the dock.
"Alright you son of a bitch!" Mark threw his arms out to the left and right causing the barrier to shatter. His coat fluttered behind him as blue orbs of light rose around him. Lighting Storm! The dense forest of electricity smashed into the creature sending electrical currents through it and the entire pool.
"Mark! No!" Sena shouted.
As the spell ended all of the submarines in the pool exploded creating a flaming inferno.
"Ooohh…" Mark groaned in shame.
Sena glared at Mark for a handful of moments. "IDIOT!"
Mark scratched the back of his head with his right hand with an embarrassed smirk on his face. "My bad…"
"No! Now we really are all going to die!" One of the scientists yelled.
"No we're not." Mark said coolly. "We just have to find another submarine in some other dome somewhere."
A violent rumbling shook the dock knocking several of the hostages off of their feet. Before anyone could react to the current situation, an even bigger problem slammed into the dock double doors and began leaking through.
Mark gazed out in shock at the double doors as the ocean began pushing them inward towards the dock. "Ah…shit." His eyes locked onto a dark figure hidden by the black smoke from the explosion and tracked it across the pool. "Sena! Look out!"
Reflexive motion overtook Sena's body before her mind allowed her to realize what was happening. Before she could process the situation she found herself in the air, after launching her body from the floor and kicking off the wall with her left foot, barely dodging four long claws launched by the mutant. The creature stared up at Sena from the floor snarling then in an instant, kicked itself off of the wall and flew through the air after her.
Tech-Aero.
Emerald wisps of wind surrounded Sena's body and she spun through the air across the near half mile wide pool and landed gracefully on the other side. Somehow the seasoned soldier's instincts had picked up a slight latency. Her body rose slowly as her mind expected the creature to be glaring at her from across the pool. Instead the monster was less than ten feet away from her, running with blinding speed across the water cutting the liquid beneath its webbed feet and spouting it into the air on its left and right sides. Sena barely had a second to turn and draw her daggers, halting two of the mutant's claws three inches from her face with a loud clang and a bright spark. A combative dance of light and speed ensued between the two enemies.
Mark darted to the left side of the pool preparing his body to withstand the force of a firestorm spell then slid to a stop twenty feet away from the battle. "Sena! Move!"
"What have I been doing for the last three minutes!" Sena shouted after finally opening up a wound on the creature's right arm causing black blood to spew onto her black uniform. She used the brief pause in violence to dash away from the creature.
Firestorm! Mark opened his hands then pulled both of his arms back as steam began to rise from his body. Seconds later a swirling storm of fire encircled him. As his hands shot forward so did the flames and crashed into the monster, engulfing it in a blazing inferno. Mark let his arms drop as he exhaled and took a step forward. "Sena…"
Sena let out a deep breath she didn't realize she was holding before answering. "What?"
"That thing…something about it wasn't right." Mark said calmly.
"What are…" A deep gasp took away the rest of Sena's sentence as the mutant filled her vision.
The creature shot up from within the flames screeching in pain then twirled its body to the side and launched a flurry of claws towards Mark. The stunned black mage's eyes widened as two of the claws sunk deep into him, one in the left side of his gut and the other near the center of his chest just above his stomach. Blood settled in Mark's throat then splattered onto the floor as a gurgled cough escaped his chest before he fell onto his back.
"Mark…!" All Sena could manage was an uncontrolled outburst. "No!" She darted over to Mark, the monster briefly leaving her train of thought.
Mark's vision slowly left him as a dark crimson pool of blood spread out beneath him. A blurred image of the mutant briefly resonated above him then was replaced by Sena, who lowered down on both knees beside him. "Ha…how's it goin' doll face?"
Sena only smiled warmly at the comment, her usual flare of anger towards what she felt to be sexist comments gone. "Mark…" She carefully placed her hand on his chest, trying her best not to cause the fallen Techmage any more pain. "Mark I…"
"I let my guard down…" Mark spat up another mouthful of blood. "It happens." His blood soaked lips formed a cocky smirk.
"To the best of us." Sena said meekly, not knowing what to do. She knew her comrade's wound was too severe and already too far gone for a simple restorative spell. If only…if only there was something more powerful…why can't there be some way I can help him!
Mark groaned in pain. "Ah…this sucks. I was just getting ready to make my move on you too. Doubt it would have worked though…never could win over the feminists."
Sena found herself holding back a genuine girlish giggle. Something no man had ever been able to make her do, save Matthew. "Hey…I may not take shit from egotistical jerks like you…" Another warm smile spread across her face as she gently placed her hand on Mark's cheek. "But I'm not the bra burner you think I am."
"Ha!" Another cough and stream of blood escaped Mark as he laughed. "Gue…guess…" The life behind his eyes slowly began to fade. "Looks like I finally won." He whispered. Two seconds later, Mark exhaled his final breath.
A single tear escaped Sena's right eye as it closed. The droplet of water fell hitting the floor beside Mark's head. "Damnit…" A loud shriek from Dr. Sanz pulled Sena's mind back to focus on the creature. An infuriated glare from her eyes rested on the monster that now towered over the defenseless civilians.
"Mom! Get back!" Clara shouted while holding her arms up and aiming her palms at the scorched beast. "Tech-lightning!" Two small bolts of electricity shot from the small girl's hands towards the beast. Clara's eyes widened with shock as the mutant swatted the bolts down with the back of its hand. "No…!"
All of the civilians except for Clara and her mother had backed away to the collapsing doors of the dock. The creature let out a low growl as it raised its right hand preparing to rip its claws through Dr. Sanz. It was so focused on the scientist that its heightened senses didn't notice Sena, flying through the air with her arms extended and her daggers clenched tightly in her hands.
"Hey!" Sena shouted, causing the beast to turn its head to the air. Sena crossed her arms as she descended towards the beast then in one fluent motion shot them back to her sides and landed in between Clara, Dr. Sanz, and the monster on her left knee with her arms still extended.
A handful of moments passed before the slimy skin that made up the creature's neck split open and its black blood spewed out in every direction. Its head slowly slid off of its body with a look of rage and shock forever etched onto its face and hit the floor with a moist thud. Its body collapsed on itself and the gallons of blood retained in its body poured out onto the floor.
"You…you…you did it!" Clara smiled.
"So what! We're still trapped in here and the doors are about to give way!" One of the scientists yelled.
Sena sighed in annoyance. "Civies." She turned to the left wall and held up her right arm and opened her palm. Her hair blew back as red orbs of light rose around her body then flattened and vanished. Tech-Fire. The large fireball blew apart the tan wall opening a new path for the once trapped humans. Sena turned her head to the civilians. "Let's go."
Clara ran towards the opening with the rest of the scientists and technicians except for Dr. Sanz, who stopped beside Sena.
"What do you want?" Sena asked.
"Lieutenant…?" Dr. Sanz's voice stumbled as her eyes tried to locate the lieutenant's rank insignia.
"What?" Sena asked again.
"I know the chances of all of us making it out of here alive are…to say the least…dim." Dr. Sanz said quietly.
"What's your point?" Sena wondered.
"I just…I know if you wanted to…if you were alone you could find a way out of here." Dr. Sanz took in a deep breath. "What I'm trying to say is…when things get to that point as I know they will…could you please…"
Sena read the hurt in Dr. Sanz's eyes as the woman tried to say what was on the surface of her mind. "Don't worry. I'll make sure she sees the light of another day."
Before Dr. Sanz could thank Sena, the double doors of the dock exploded open and a wall of water crashed into the floor and spread out into the room.
"Come on!" Sena shouted while grabbing Dr. Sanz's hand. She ran towards the opening she created pulling the frightened scientist with her.
Marotherma Labs: Northwestern Dock
"Koren!" Devron shouted.
Koren gazed up at the group of Techmages with a hint of disbelief in his eyes. "Unexpected…"
"Company!" One of the soldiers with the rank insignia of First Sergeant shouted to the Kazunian troops. "Fan out! Shoot to kill!"
The soldiers spread out to either side of the dock and unloaded a flurry of red laser bolt fire towards the Vandarian Techmages. The Techmages stood fearless in front of the sea of deadly lasers. The bolts of death smacked into barriers and bounced in different directions. The soldiers ceased their fire and charged the Techmages.
Devron glanced over at Hank. "Fernen?"
"I got it." Hank drew his katanas. Flame Embodiment. Fire sparked from his hands then swirled around the adamantium born weapons.
Koren closed his eyes and smiled as his company of soldiers cried out in agonized pain. He stepped across the dock through the already ending battle between the Kazunian shock troops and Hank Fernen. He came to a halt as Matt stepped in front of the group of Vandarian Techmages.
"Captain Serge. I don't think I've ever had the pleasure." Koren smirked and held his unique weapon up taking a defensive stance.
Matt pulled his shotgun from the holster sheath beneath his coat. "Pleasure's all mine." Two golden bullets blasted from Matt's shotgun towards the Kazunian Techmage.
Instead of simply deflecting the bullets with a barrier, Koren blocked Matt's attack with the chakram attached to his weapon. "Senseless."
"What the hell is that thing anyway!" Hank and Jenevia shouted.
Koren glanced down at the large weapon on his right arm. "This? This is Nightshade." The black chakram launched from its blaster attachment faster than a bolt of lightning and whirled around the Vandarian Techmages then reattached itself to Koren's blaster.
Jenevia stood frozen with a look of twisted shock and fear covering her face. Her head turned slowly and her eyes centered on Shannon. "Shannon…?"
The only thing Shannon could manage was a gurgled groan before her head slid off of her shoulders then hit the floor along with her lifeless body.
The Vandarian Techmages stepped away from their fallen comrade with shock and disgust painted on their faces.
"No!" Jenevia screeched. "NO!"
"You bastard!" Devron shouted.
"The whereabouts of my father before my entering this world is none of your business." Koren smirked.
"Kill him!" Hank screamed.
A loud crash of water pulled the Vandarians' attention away from Chaos Blue.
"The dome!" Matt turned to the dock entrance.
"Help us!" Clara shouted as she ran into the west dock with her mother, Sena, and the rest of the hostages behind her carrying Daniel.
"Oh shit…" Terror overtook Riko's face as the invading ocean crashed into the west dock.
"Leviathan!" Koren's voice echoed throughout the dock.
A white flash blinded every human in the room except Koren who stood silent as a blue ring of light encircled him. A mysterious character formed beneath Koren's feet and flashed causing all of the rippling water inside the dock including the tidal wave three feet away from the group of humans to stop moving. Everyone except Koren took a step back and glanced around the dock at the feint sound of a sea dragon's screeching roar. The reinforced dome glass able to withstand an impact from a transport submarine cracked with hundreds of tiny holes. The ocean poured in through the holes and flew through the air and settled seven feet above Koren forming a large sphere of liquid.
"Rillian! Where's Mark!" Matt shouted, momentarily taking his attention from the materializing summoning anomaly.
"He…he's dead. He died saving my life." Sena said making no attempt to hide her pain.
Both Sena and Matt returned their gazes to the sphere of water hovering above Chaos Blue. Two sharpened bright red eyes glared out from beneath the water. The sphere continued to grow until its borders nearly touched the mile wide dock walls.
Koren laughed darkly as he stared down his enemies. "If you will all excuse me." The sphere suddenly began to deteriorate. "But I must be on my way. Kazun has a world to conquer after all."
"You're not going anywhere you son of a bitch!" Devron shouted furiously.
"There you go again…" A large rectangular beam with a slight backwards slant shot from Nightshade and ripped through Devron's chest. "Insulting my family lineage."
Matt, Riko, and Rillian all ran to Devron and caught him as he fell with blood gushing up out of his mouth. They watched in shock and disbelief as Koren casually walked into his transport submarine with an evil grin spread across his face. The four Vandarian Techmages gazed up as the sphere exploded and the gargantuan sea dragon, Leviathan roared into existence. Black hair covered portions of his face, slanted back along each side of his head. Two hairless whiskers slithered in the wind above his black beard. The summoning monster glared down at the Vandarians with a bloodthirsty rage in his eyes. Devron only caught a glimpse of the mythical beast before his life left his body and the dead hunk of flesh fell limp in its comrade's arms.
Sena turned to Matt as she gently laid Devron's body on the floor. "Matt…what do we do?"
"I…" Matt started.
Take him. Koren's evil glare bore a hole through Matt from the dark depths of his submarine.
The blazing red glow returned to Leviathan's eyes as all of the water inside the dock began to swirl around the sea dragon. A small portion of the wall of water shot out from behind Leviathan then smashed into Matt, slamming the stunned Techmage into the wall beside the double door entrance.
"Matt!" Sena glanced back at Serge then gazed up at the wall of water behind Leviathan. Almost all of the small technological wonders created inside of Marotherma including the Switchblade attack submarines swarmed inside the large pool of death.
The arm of water suffocating Matt against the wall latched onto him and violently threw him forward into the Kazunian transport submarine.
"We're…" Dr. Sanz gazed up at Leviathan with tears in her eyes. "We're doomed…."
Three seconds later, the dome roof covering the west dock shattered from the force of Leviathan's screeching roar and an unstoppable force of water smashed into the surviving Techmages and hostages. Sena, somehow managed to survive the sheer force from the impact of the water and floated helplessly through the violent currents. She could no longer control her body and her vision had already blurred to the point where even the blue liquid around her was out of focus. A desperate grasp for life from within the fallen Techmage forced a violent cough from her throat but then her bodily functions subsided as a mist of darkness began to overshadow her vision.