Dust sifted down from the low ceiling as the main door to the facility was breached. Hylia ducked nervously as the very foundations of the building trembled, gripping onto a sturdy concrete pillar to steady herself.
"Clutch!" She yelled frantically, "Barricade the door! We don't have long before they decide to clear the basement!"
"Way ahead of you!" Clutch called back, hoisting a massive piece of building rubble with inhuman strength. The tall man shifted his weight and heaved the chunk of concrete into place before the stairwell door. He stepped back, panting from the exertion. "That should hold them. At least until help arrives."
"Nip! How much time until we can get some backup?"
A thin woman leaned out from behind a massive computer monitor, her short brown hair standing straight on end.
"About fifteen minutes. Kaid says they're being held up near the old courthouse." Nip grimaced, "Atlas knew just when to hit us. We're isolated down here."
"Well we're just going to have to sit tight until help arrives, there's no way we can take on this many of Atlas' goons." Hylia said, "The door is blocked, that will give us some time. In the meantime I want everything that could be used to point back to us, or the rebellion, wiped from this place. Understood?"
Nip and Clutch nodded their agreement and set about tearing down the improvised listening station they'd established in the months prior. It was a shame to have to destroy this equipment, it had taken a lot of effort to covertly install it in the abandoned building's basement, however it was becoming quite clear that the base would be useless after today and that it would be best not to leave anything incriminating inside.
After several minutes, everything of potential interest had been lumped together into a pile in the center of the room. Hylia inhaled sharply, touching the heat within her soul. Her eyesight focused and time seemed to slow as her surroundings quickly faded into darkness. Just as swiftly, a spark flickered to life, filling the darkness with warmth and light. She reached out as she had so many times before and clenched her fist around the budding flame. Hylia sprang back to reality, flame now flickering in her hand. The entire process had taken but a second, to the others it would look as if the flame had instantly appeared in her hand.
She released the fire from her hand, sparks flying everywhere as it collided with the pile of equipment. It was almost cathartic to watch everything burn, to watch the wires twist and furl under the heat of the flame. A heavy acrid smoke crawled forth from the base of the pyre. It clung to the floor like a thick carpet, blanketing the room in a mildly noxious scent. Good. Any kind of distraction for the intruders would be welcome.
As if on cue, shouts began to ring out from behind the blocked door. Hylia turned to face the door, summoning more fire from within. Clutch cracked his knuckles and rolled back his shoulders, taking a protective stance in front of her. Nip jumped up and down in anticipation. The voices grew louder and a sharp banging sound pierced the air. Another shout, followed by silence. Hylia paused, straining to make out the words. The same voice rang out again, clearer this time.
"Shit!" she shouted, "Get down!"
The wall beside the door suddenly and violently exploded inwards, sending chunks of concrete and rebar scattering across the ground. Clutch held up his arms to shield his face from debris and Hylia created a wave of fire that melted any pieces that managed to slip past. Dust now clogged the air, and smoke rolled out of the brand new hole in the wall, exposing a narrow hallway beyond. Silhouettes emerged from the dust and filed into the room.
Hylia sent out a wide arc of flame, illuminating the murky darkness that surrounded her. There were eight in total, each wearing the distinctive armor that signified them as soldiers of the Atlas Initiative. Each of them wore stiff black armor and a sleek helmet with a reflective visor, designed so that the soldiers couldn't easily be blinded. They moved in a tight formation, guns held at the ready, and began to fan out upon entry to the room.
Hyllia glanced from side to side, keeping both ends of the formation in her periphery. A man near the center of the formation– the captain, Hylia noted the insignia on his right shoulder– stepped forward.
"You are under arrest for multiple crimes including, but not limited to the unlawful possession of Class M technology and the harboring of unregistered anomalous individuals." His voice was deep, aided by his helmet's built-in voice modulator. "Compliance, while not mandatory, is highly recommended. Any attempt to resist arrest will result in your rights as protected individuals by the Atlas Initiative to be forfeit."
Hylia took a deep breath and once more reached into the darkness and pulled forth a burning ball of flame. She gathered her strength and hurled it at the captain, who deftly stepped aside, letting the flaming orb fly past him through the smoke. The other soldiers raised their guns, but before they could fire, a wave of smoke and dust rose up around them.
It was Nip, running at a speed almost imperceptible to the human eye. She appeared as nothing more than a ripple in the air, but the speed of her passing had kicked up walls of dust around the soldiers, who instinctively backed away. Nip began to circle in on the soldiers, corralling them into a tight circle. Hylia grinned and prepared a large burst of flame.
The captain raised his gun and Hylia instinctively ducked, preparing to melt the bullet before it hit her, but the shot never came. Instead, the captain pointed his gun in a seemingly random direction and fired a single time. Nip, having gained incredible velocity from her dash, was unable to slow in time and collided with the bullet as it shot right in front of her.
Hylia watched in horror as Nips' lifeless body tumbled to the ground, rolling several meters before it hit the wall with a sickening thud.
The soldiers opened fire, bullets ripping trails through the smoke. Hylia lashed out with waves of flame. Lead melted, sending splashes of color through the dark room. Clutch charged, ramming his shoulder into an unprepared soldier. With strength no normal man could muster, he slammed the soldier into a concrete pillar, bringing down a section of the floor above atop both of their heads. Hylia smirked in spite of herself. Clutch would live. The soldier would not.
Her eyes darted among the seven remaining soldiers, her eyes straining to pick out her target. She shot a small belch of fire low to the ground. The soldiers scattered like rats, but one was unlucky enough to be caught in her flames. He screamed in pain as the fire twisted and fused the armor in his legs and he fell. Hylia quickly finished him with a burst of flame.
Clutch reappeared from beneath the collapsed pillar, shaking concrete from his hair. He lunged at a now isolated target, hands outstretched as if to grab the man's throat. Another soldier jumped to the aid of her comrade, bashing the butt of her rifle into Clutch's chin. Clutch grabbed her gun and rammed the barrel into her gut. The other soldier shot at Clutch in desperation but the bullets couldn't penetrate the muscled man's thick skin.
The remaining four soldiers, the three grunts who weren't fighting Clutch, and the captain, circled in on Hylia. She reached inside, feeling the darkness once more. She lingered there, letting the fire build brighter and brighter until even she could not stand the raging heat. Her body burst into flame. She reached out and struck a soldier, barely registering that she had just struck through him, the fire burning so intensely that armor and flesh had just melted away before it. She released a lash of fire, slicing through the chest of another soldier and relishing the sound his body made when it hit the floor.
Her eyes turned to the captain. He would be next. He would pay for what he had done. Hylia reached out to strike him but felt a sharp, cool sting in her side. Her other attacker had begun to fire his rifle, the heavy bullets melting on contact with her skin. The bullets couldn't pierce the raging flames that covered Hylia's body, but they were having a strange effect. The liquid lead was sticking to her skin. Smothering the flames. It didn't matter, she felled this new attacker with the flick of her hand.
A sharp scream momentarily distracted her. Clutch had snapped the female soldier's neck and turned on his remaining attacker. The soldier threw down his gun and pulled out a long serrated knife. Clutch swung at the armored man, but the soldier ducked and buried the knife deep into Clutch's knee, the blade somehow finding its way through his thick hide. Clutch yelled and swung again, but the soldier released his knife and stumbled backwards out of reach. To Hylia's horror the soldier reached for his sidearm and fired. Bullet after bullet impacted Clutch's chest, each one hitting with incredible precision in the same exact location. Each one digging deeper and deeper, until at last Clutch slumped over, blood pouring from his chest and mouth.
Two soldiers remained and only Hylia stood against them.
The man who had killed Clutch stepped up beside his compatriot, loading a fresh magazine into his gun. Hylia gathered her strength, fueling the flames that coated her body as a barrage of lead poured down around her. She forced herself forward, feeling the weight of liquid metal press against her. It ran down her left arm, smothering flames as it went, denying the fires the oxygen they so desperately needed. She reached within herself, to the darkness, but the fire wouldn't relight. A bullet caught her in the arm and she gritted her teeth and pushed forwards. Her leg went out. It caught multiple bullets, Hylia wasn't sure how many, but she fell regardless. She desperately reached into the dark void, searching for anything. A flame. A spark.
But there was nothing. No fire to answer her call. No welcoming light. Just an unending darkness that closed in around her, strangling her and choking her in its endless silence.
Captain Chuck Samson removed his helmet, letting the cool air of the basement reach his sweltering skin. He let out a short sigh as he glanced down at the charred corpses before him, their bodies permanently frozen in twisted agony. He glanced down at his helmet in his hands, his dark face faintly reflected in the visor.
"Sir." It was the voice of the Sergeant. Chuck hadn't bothered learning his name. His type didn't usually last long, not in this profession. Hell, it was a miracle the man had survived this mission.
"What is it, soldier?" Chuck asked, trying not to let irritation creep into his voice.
"This facility has not been deemed clear." He spoke clearly, though he was obviously a bit shaken from the fight, "I would find it unwise to remove my helmet when threats could still be in the area."
"Well, soldier, I didn't ask for your opinion." Chuck replied, "If you last long enough around here, you'll come to realize that it doesn't matter if you wear your stupid helmet or not, because you aren't getting into a second engagement. At least not one you can win. Not against these things." He gestured towards the corpse of one of the aggressors. "You get one fight to take them all out or that's it, you're dead."
The Sergeant stood in silence, looking around the room. He'd done well for himself, for his first mission. The average recruit didn't make it a week.
'Come on," Chuck said, turning to leave, "Let's get out of this dump. You did well. Three more missions and I might even consider learning your name."