Alright everyone, next chapter is up here. I've completed Alden in Chains, Light of the Tunnel and that one mission after that one. So yeah, here we go. This one I've decided to put in some originality and actually use my brain to come up with the middle section.
"Cole, you're going to need to track down Alden. Once he's in custody, I'll send an extraction team to retrieve him. Laura, Selvena; I have another job for you two," Moya calls us a while later. "I've been getting reports of the Dustmen terrorizing the streets."
"Sure, we'll get to work Moya," I reply before I hang up and look to Morgan. She just nods, knowing we've got to go.
"I guess a hero's life is never a dull one huh?" she smiles. We nod and rush across the street to climb up towards the roofs.
"The Dustmen are rolling around in those armored buses, killing anyone they see. If the government gets wind of this, they'll think those things will be used to break out of quarantine," Moya tells us as we watch the tank-buses roll around with machine guns poking out every window. They suddenly fire away at one civilian who tried to make a break for a house, only to fall as bullets enter their body. "And then they'll bomb the island."
"Are you kidding me?" I ask with disbelief in my voice. "You're BSing me."
"No, if it doesn't look like I have control of the situation, they will take action. The president has the authority to drop the bomb. It's standard protocol when dealing with a biological threat," she replies. "Just stop the Dustmen. If you do that, Cole will have an easier job at tracking Alden."
"I swear do they just sit around all day dreaming about blowing stuff up?" Silver comments as the bus comes closer to our roof. A sigh escapes my lips as I charge up electricity in my hands before I use my static thrusters to glide down to the bus. No one inside the bus notices my landing while I look around for some way to stop this thing. I use my psychic power and sense a generator at the rear, underneath a metal plate and barbed wire.
A few lightning bolts take out the generator and the inside of the bus shakes before smoke and fire is expelled from the windows. I highly doubt that those inside survived the ammunition exploding.
"One down, three to go," I say to myself before I spot Silver blow up one not too far from me. "O-Kay, two to go..."
I leap off the bus and climb back up to the roof to try and spot the remaining two armored transient transports. I'm grinding on the train tracks to the next gun bus when Trish calls my cell.
"Luna I'm getting a lot of people coming in with gunshot wounds, what's going on?" she asks.
"Transients are in their armored garbage trucks shooting up anyone they see," I reply as I get closer to my target bus. Gunfire sounds out as they let loose on another innocent civilian.
"Hurry up and stop them. It's getting bad here and I don't have enough supplies to deal with this if it keeps up," she reminds me in a worried voice. In the background I hear people crying out in pain back at the hospital.
"We'll be done with the last two soon Trish. Don't worry," I tell her with confidence as I get close to the gun-shooting bus.
"Alright, I trust you," she says before hanging up. I leap off the tracks and land onto the Dustmen's bus with another thunder drop. It's just like before; blasting a few lightning bolts at the generator before it gives out. The glass windows shatter, expelling smoke and fire as the ammunition and such explodes like firecrackers in a coffee can.
"Selvena's taken out the last one. I suggest you two head over to Cole's location and help him track down Alden," Moya says in her professional business tone without so much as a 'nice job'. I let out a frustrated sigh and head off to help Cole with tracking down the old man. As we walk down the street we see one guy hanging by his leg from a light pole.
"He stole our food, kill him!" One man yells as he throws rocks at the poor man.
** Oh great, this guy must have done something bad if he's hanging there like a caught rabbit. And Cole is chasing after Alden, whom is still on the loose. Let's see, one of us could blast this guy down, or we could just walk away and leave him here to rot...** Silver blasts a bolt of lightning at the ropes while I'm deciding on what to do. The man scrambles up and rushes over to us, relieved to be down.
"What'd you do that for? He stole our food?" the rock thrower yells at me and looks like he'll attack before realizing who we are. He stops his attacking advance, but his anger doesn't diminish.
"Did you give the man a chance to explain himself? If he didn't steal your food you shouldn't hang someone for bad timing," Silver says I help the man up. "If he DID, then he should help you find the equivalent of what he stole."
"I didn't know..." the accused man says as he stands up. "I just saw the food and grabbed some, but then the Dustmen came and threatened to shoot if I tried to stop them. Then they left and he found me." The defendant points to the accuser before he starts to cry. "You have to believe me... I didn't know, I swear..." Silver looks at him long and hard to see if he's lying or not. The accuser says that he just saw his food gone and the man, Mark, held some of his food.
"I believe you, just try to return the food that you stole," I say as I put a hand on Mark's shoulder. He promises that he'll give it back. With that done I turn to the group of stoners. "Now is not the time to be fighting amongst each other. We are all in this together against our enemies; the Reapers and the Dustmen. They are the ones keeping us from enjoying the fact we're alive, to breathe the air and to be with each other."
"Even if our family is gone from this world, let the people of Empire City be your family. Your neighbors, your friends, co-workers, the lady across the street, your landlord. We must stay strong and stay together," I say to the crowd as I leap up onto the lamp post and draw my sword. "We have come too far to fight amongst ourselves. The government will not help us so we must help our family. Together we are strong. Together we will survive. Currently we are unable to fight back against the gangs around this city, but we can still work towards another goal: to survive as one. Who's with me?" I receive shouts of yeses and pumped fists. As the people join together I receive a call from my phone.
"Impressive speech Luna," Selene's voice sounds out in my ear. I whip my head around and see Selene stand by another woman about the same height. My lips curl back in a snarl and I climb up the roof towards the two.
"So it seems like we come together again," Selene says with an observant tone, as if she knew what we'd do. The other woman nods, looking at us with white-blue eyes.
"Indeed sister. But we must continue with our mission. You know he doesn't want us to be near them," the other one speaks.
"You," Silver growls as she draws her sword and conjures a ball of fire in her hands. "Going to run away like before?"
"Just to make sure you get a hard smack of reality." white-eyes says coldly. I let out a growl and fire off several rockets into the air as well as a few at the two before us. Then I quickly blast a lightning bolt at their feet, watching the rockets being directed towards the blast. Both women raise their hands and suddenly the electricity dissipates. Faster than my eyes can follow, I'm suddenly gripped by my throat and lifted up into the air by the green eyed lady, Selene.
"I think they need to learn a lesson," she says as she looks me in the eyes while I try to escape her grip. My hands charge with electricity as I try to zap her, but I find the mechanical hand around my throat instead of the one of flesh. Silver rushes at us with a napalm grenade in her hands, but the white-eyed woman trips her with a low-sweep. The hand around my throat tightens.
"Listen to me and listen good girl. I may be weak, but I can still crush your throat. All it takes is the twitch of a muscle. Now listen to me and listen good," she hisses to me. "People can easily be impressed because you have power. They are easily swayed by words that promise hope, but what happens when you cannot keep those promises? They turn to you and expect you to save them when they need you, but what happens when something prevents you? What do you do...?"
Her lecture is cut off as she blocks several throwing knives with a sword that suddenly appears in her left hand. Caia seems to do the same with her own sword. All four of us look to see Morgan atop a water tank with two throwing knives in her hands.
"I suggest you let my students go," she says in a cold tone. She throws both knives at Selene and Caia before Sensei draws swords from her belt; holding them at our chokers throats.
"Morgan..." Selene says as if she knows her like a long lost friend. Her voice remains calm, cool and collective despite the blade a hair from her throat. "This has complicated things it seems…."
"Selene. We'd better go, we have better things to be doing," Caia says while keeping her grip on Silver's throat, also unchanged by the sword at her throat. Selene nods, but brings her lips to my ear. "This will not be the last time you see us Laura Longpaw."
"Who are...?" I start but then the two mysterious women vanish and I find myself standing on solid ground again. "... You?"
"Are you two alright?" Sensei asks as she drops down, sheathing her swords. I feel like someone tried to choke me, and then I'm warned of a stalking attempt, but I'm fine.
"We're fine Sensei," Silver says as she hands Morgan the dropped throwing knives. Our silver-haired teacher graciously takes them all but two, giving one to each of us.
"In case you find yourselves in a tight spot. A knife can be better than a sword," she explains, closing our fingers around the grip. "Now I think Cole would appreciate your help."
"Yes Sensei," we say as the knives get slipped into leg pockets. Both of us bow to her one last time before heading off to the park where Cole should be.
The two of us leap over another pile of junk and drop down into the playground to see Cole facing off against Alden in this junk armor golem. Up above a helicopter seems to be watching the fight; providing a spotlight on the automaton. Cole ducks behind the fountain to dodge a spray of nuts that fly at him while he returns fire with lightning bolts and grenades. Silver and I fire a few rockets into the sky before we each blast a lightning bolt at the golem's back.
"Incoming!" I cry out as we jump down, a sword in my hand. Alden looks to us just as the megawatt hammers strike into his back. He groans before aiming his arm at us. I roll to the side and avoid the nuts, but Silver gets hit with a few. She lets out a cry as my sister stumbles over to a light pole; draining the electricity to heal her wounds. Alden doesn't give her much of a chance as he destroys the pole and shoots at her. Silver falls to the ground with a cry of pain as blood starts to pour out of her wounds. The golem lumbers over to her with a club of metal in its grip.
"Stay away from her!" I growl out, blasting a lightning bolt at the golem. Alden turns to me with an arm raised to strike at Silver. In the blink of an eye I shadow dash straight up to him, feeling my body overcharged with electricity. Dozens of rockets get shot up into the sky while lightning crackles into my blade. My sword slices off the posed arm, sending the trash appendage to the ground. When Alden throws me off I fire a sniper bolt straight into a chink in the armor.
"You think you can stop me? You will not be able to control me like before!" Alden rants as he turns to me. "The girl, all three of you, try to stop me! Well it won't..."
"Shut the hell up!" I scream out as the overcharged megawatt rockets hit the golem, right in its weak spot. Alden cries out in pain as the rockets strike his armor and himself. He finally falls down as his concentration is broken, the junk armor crumbling to trash again.
"You okay?" Cole asks as he stumbles towards me. I nod and both of us walk over to my sister as she stumbles to her feet with a groan.
"You alright sis?" I ask as I bend down to help her up.
"Mmm... Carry me..." she mumbles in between consciousness and dreamland. I let out a chuckle as I haul her onto my back. She must have gotten hit on the head, but I have confidence she'll be alright after some rest.
"I've already sent for an extraction team to take Alden away, but you three need to make sure he stays put," Moya reports as a helicopter flies off, carrying Tate with it. "Head over to the prison and make sure he stays there."
So yeah the part about standard protocol I half-made up on the spot, forgetting half of what Moya really told Cole. So yeah. Bet no one expected Selene or Caia to appear like that.
Now for some commentary responses:
Experimental Agent 1123: Thanks for your comment.
General Herbison: Yeah, will make things a whole lot easier with missions involving multiple targets/multiple defensive points. And no I haven't considered making an evil story. I'll think about it.
So that's about it. Oh and just in case people aren't aware: If you don't like it, don't read it.