Chapter 20 : A New Kind of Adventure - Part 5 : Prelude
(A/N : Warning, this chapter contained a bit off story information.)
"So, how's your head going?" Lily asked me as we got out from the clinic at the Alliance base near the Edwin's farm.
"Yeah, just a slight concussion and a nice black bruise with red cut on the forehead. Not too bad." I answered. Yeah, I was telling her the truth after the doctor checked me and bandaged my forehead. But, I still got a headache from my fall, and the doctor says I shouldn't move my head too much because every time I spun my head, a great dizzy mixed with headache came again to my head. Also, I've cleaned that oil from my clothes, but it still need to be wash because it still a bit wet and sticky, and also still smells.
So, we decided to teleport to Hyphen Heights, where the other us house is located. God, I really need some rest now, I was so tired from the today's mission. Hopefully this war could come into an end someday, and we could go home too.
Meanwhile...
Somewhere above Payper Plains
Sgt. Andrew Williams
Special FSO Agent
18:36:40 PM Local time
Presidential plane heading to Capital City
A man with short black hair with black suit and bulletproof vest stood in the plane corridor, waiting for the President to arrive. He stood there with other Special Agents tasked to guard Mr. President to a peace conference in Capital City, after waiting for a while, the Mr. President with short brown hair and wearing a black suit finally arrive with his teen daughter at her 19's with her long brown hair tied into a ponytail and wears a pink jacket with white shirt underneath it, blue legging, and purple converse shoes at his side, "Alright, Elena. Just wait outside the meeting room and.. Try not to get too bored while father attend this meeting, it's only for a while." He told her.
"Alright father." She hugged her father, "Mr. President." An agent named Antonio Boris approached them, he has a very short black hair, and wears the same uniform as the other agents, "Are you ready for the meeting sir?" He asked, "I'm ready when you are, just tell some of your agents to guard my daughter." Mr. President replied.
"Alright Mr. President." Boris replied,"Andrew follow us." He called Andrew, and Andrew quickly followed Boris and escorted Mr. President to the conference room. John Miller, only to be known as Mr. President, was a son of David Miller, the previous president before the Empire took over the world and the Emperor himself executed him. As his descendant, John was tasked by his father to made peace between both sides to end the war that has been raging for years.
After they arrived at the conference room, Mr. President kissed his daughter forehead, "I'll see you at dinner." He said to her as she left the room, accompanied by two agents. Andrew and Boris took their guard position in the room, Mr. President, some of his cabinets, and delegates from Alliance and Empire took their seats with the Alliance at the right side, and the Empire at the left side. Three soldiers from both side guard their perspective delegates.
"Ladies, and Gentleman. We have two choices; peace, or war. For the sake of our children and future, you both must seek peace for each other. Or, we will be trapped in the never-ending war that could endangered our races. The choice is on your hands, ladies and gentleman." Mr. President said.
There a chatter between both delegates, before one of the male delegates from the Empire side raised his hand, "We're agree on the plan of peace to stop this war. It was the Emperor who need to put the blame on, he ruled the world in dictatorship and showed everyone in the world that he has no mercy to made people feared him." He said.
"We also agree on that." One of the female delegate from the Alliance raised her hand, "The Alliance has fight for freedom and free the world from the Emperor's tyranny for years. We're not scum, or just a pesky little rebel faction. We are the fighters of freedom, and now this is the time to stop this war." She said.
Every delegate gave her a small clap of appreciation, "Nice speech Susan." One of the Alliance delegate said to her, "Thanks Robert." She replied.
"That's good. Decision has been made, and now we just need to-" Mr. President was cut off by a gunfire and screams across the room, "That's gunfire." One of the agent said. "Help! This is Empire team! The plane has been breached by hijackers!" A voice shouted at the radio.
All of the agents pulled out their pistol including Andrew, the soldiers from both side began to held their delegates down as two agents held Mr. President down, "Mr. President, get down. Empire team, status report." Commander Leo Martinez said.
"We're taking heavy casualties! We need backup immediately!" A voice replied.
The plane starts to shook violently, the light flickered and some of the conference room furnitures was thrown. "Damn it, Empire team! Report!" Leo yelled at his radio.
"Return fire! Multiple agents and both Empire and Alliance soldiers are down, we need backup!"
"Everyone down! Protect Mr. President at all costs!" Leo shouted, "To all agents, code red! I repeat..." A beeping sound was heard, and the door next to the room exploded as the hijackers entering the room and firing into the room. Killing some of the President's cabinet and some of both Empire and Alliance delegates. But the agents and soldiers from both sides easily killed them.
"Take the President and the delegates to the escape pods! Quick!" Leo commanded, the soldiers quickly escorted their delegates and some of the agents, including Boris and Andrew. Escorted the President to the back of the plane, where the escape pod room is located. One of the Empire soldiers opened the door to the main lobby, but he killed by a shot in the head. "Contact! At the main lobby!" Boris shouted.
Andrew drew his pistol and shot one of the hijackers in the head, and one in the chest twice while the others cleared the main lobby from the hijackers. "Hmm, I never saw these guys." Leo inspected the dead bodies of the hijackers, they wears a black and green uniform, bulletproof vest, and black gas mask that covered their whole head. Which resembles none from the Empire or either the Alliance soldiers.
"Where's my daughter?!" Mr. President demanded as someone yelled to the radio, "Sir, they have the President's daughter hostage in the kitchen!"
"Alright, Alliance team. Backup is on the way." Leo replied, they move downstairs past the lobby and into the kitchen, where they saw Elena Miller, the President daughter being held in the kitchen. Her arms were tied, "Help me!" She shouted, and the agents and soldiers eliminated all the hijackers in the kitchen. Boris approached Elena and released her arms from the rope that tied her arms.
"Father!"
"Elena!" Both of the President and her daughter are reunited, but the plane starting to shook again, "Mr. President, we need to get you to the escape pod with the other delegates!" Leo told him, "Come on! This way!" He led the way to the passenger quarters where they engage more and more hijackers, "Boris, Andrew. Get Mr. President to safety. I'll lead the way." Leo told them, both of them nodded and escorted Mr. President and her daughter to safety.
"The cockpit's been breached!" One of the agent's voice shouted to the radio.
"Hold them off! Protect the pilot and co-pilot at all costs!" A voice replied.
"Boris, open the door." Leo commanded, Boris opened the door and entered it to check it, "The room's clear!" He said, "The circuits are fried and the controls are out! Prepare for an emergency landing!" The pilot said through the radio, "Brace for impact!" There was silent moment for a while until the plane jerked and a loud screeching of metal grinding could be heard as the plane body scraped at the ground. The tail section of the plane start to crack and break, until the tail was torn and rolled in the dirt, sending chunks of debris everywhere. They held to the chairs tightly as the plane jerked again, Boris could be heard screaming and thrown him off the plane and into the ground.
Everyone braced for another impact as the torn off engine breaks from the wing heading toward them, it exploded and everyone blacked out.
...
Andrew awake in the wreckage of the plane, seeing that Leo is dragging him off from the burning wreckage of the plane, he's slightly injured and his vision is still distorted. Leo stopped dragging Andrew as his vision starting to return to normal, "You okay Andrew?" Leo asked him, "Yeah, I'm fine." He replied.
"Come on Andrew, we have to find the President." He told him before they walked out from the wreckage site, seeing that they crashed in the border between Metaforest and Payper Plains , they saw some agents securing a wounded Elena, "Secure the daughter and move her to safety." Leo told them, "Andrew on me, we have to find the President."
Andrew nodded and picked up a fallen SMG from a dead hijackers, they both searched the woods full of soldiers and agents securing the wounded delegates from both side, until finally they found the President being secured by two of the surviving Alliance soldiers next to a burning engine of the plane, "Mr. President, are you alright?" Leo asked him.
"I'm fine. Where's my daughter?" Mr. President replied.
"She's being secured sir, now we need to get you to safety." He said.
"Look! There's the chopper!" One of the Alliance soldiers pointed to the sky where a green helicopter lowered to their location, "Get Mr. President inside! Andrew, open the door!" Leo ordered, Andrew quickly opened the helicopter door, only to find a bald man with a scar over his right eye in a black suit and an untied grey scarf hanging at his neck, only to be known as the Emperor. He pulled out and aimed his revolver at Andrew then proceed to shot him in the stomach, Andrew fell to the ground as the rest of his men killed the Alliance soldiers and wounded Leo. Leo tried to aim his pistol at the Emperor, but no avail. Before he could shoot it, the Emperor already shot his head.
Andrew, who was till laying wounded and motionless on the ground, listened to the conversation between Mr. President and the Emperor.
"Well, well, well. Isn't this the Mr. President?" The Emperor said as his men grabbed Mr. President arms.
"What do you want?" Mr. President hissed.
"You know what I want, I want the nuclear device."
"You're insane."
"Don't try to pretend stupid in the front of me. Then why do you have a secret underground nuclear facility under your mansion?"
"That facility has been closed for good by my father, no one knows how to open it."
"Then, why don't you give me the launch codes?"
"You never get it." Mr. President spat.
"So, the apple doesn't fell far from the tree." The Emperor paused, "You really stubborn as your father. And now you will face the same fate as him."
"Bullshit." Mr. President looked away from the Emperor.
The Emperor glared at Mr. President, "Get him to the helicopter and find the Alliance senators and rest of my traitorous senators!" He ordered the rest of his men as Mr. President was dragged to the helicopter.
"Wait! What about my daughter?!" Mr. President shouted from the helicopter, "And find the girl!" The Emperor continued.
Andrew tried to reach the pistol in Leo's dead body, he manage to grab it with his left hand. But before he could aim it the Emperor seems noticed him, he stomped at Andrew's hand and kicked the pistol away from him. The Emperor pointed his pistol at Andrew and shot him in the head.
"We have secured the President's daughter! I repeat, we have secured..." It was the last voice that Andrew heard before died.
Meanwhile, at the forest near the Capital City...
"Come on Max, enough with the rest. We need to find that machine." The other Alex said.
"Yeah, yeah." The other Maxwell replied as he got up, "So, you're still remember the way to your old house?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, a bit." Maxwell answered.
"Just don't get us lost in this forest."
They continued walking through the dense forest, passing trees and bushes, "Bloody hell, it's hot in here." Alex wiped the sweat in his forehead, "Well, it's a tropical forest. So, get used to it." Maxwell replied.
"As long as I remember, it never been as hot as this time around."
"Huh, yeah." Maxwell rolled his eyes, "Looks like we're here." He pointed to a three story white house in an abandoned housing complex, with other houses are crumbled and vines grew on the walls. Maxwell was glad to see his old house, where he used to live with his family, before the Empire came and... 'No! Stop thinking about that!' He thought, he really trying to forget his past and do what his supposed to do now. Destroy the Empire, and bring peace and freedom back into the world.
"So, you're coming?" Alex asked, who was already in the front yard, Maxwell quickly snapped out from his thought, "Yeah." He answered.
They headed to the door and opened it, it creaked open and revealed the dark living room inside the house, Alex checked the wall to find a light switch. After he found it, he turned it on. The light shined the dark living room, it was a mess. Tables flipped, broken furnitures, moth grew on the walls, and bullet holes everywhere. He touched the bullet riddled wall, the memories came and flooded his mind.
Flashback...
It was many years ago, when he was still 12 years old, the Empire hasn't rule the world, yet. But, rather a large threat to the world. At that time, his whole family had a peaceful dinner at this house. And then, there was a knock on the door. But, before someone could open the door to answer it, the door was kicked open and unknown soldiers entered the house, firing their weapons at the dining room.
The house soon turned to a fighting ground, as Maxwell's brothers tried to fight the soldiers. But, no avail. They were beaten and dragged out from the house, Maxwell took Lily with him and hid in the corner of the house. Seeing his family being wounded, captured, or even beaten by the soldiers. The horror struck them both as they saw they parents were captured by the soldiers. A man with bald hair and a scar on his right eye came into his house, he told his men to bring his brothers and parents somewhere. And they both were the only survivors from the attack. Maxwell sworn that he will kill that man to avenge his family.
A year later, he was 13 years old. The Empire has ruled the world under the dictatorship of the Emperor. There, he met Alex and Sarah. Whom their parents has been killed by the Emperor himself, Sarah explained that Alex changed a lot after that incident. At first, he was a cheerful, friendly, and a responsible kid. Now, he was cold and ruthless, he was used to rob money from grocery stores and banks to fed her and himself. They were homeless and Alex became the most wanted thief. Alex was skilled at stealth, he also hunted for the Emperor's right hand man everywhere, gathering intel as much as possible to find the Emperor.
They made friends, gathering many allies that willing to fight the Emperor, and that's how the Alliance was formed. At first it was a small group of freedom fighters, but as many people joined, it became the world's freedom fighters to fight the Empire and end the Emperor tyranny.
End of flashback...
Maxwell snapped out from his thought, he was almost crying because remembering his past. His parents, brothers, and friends. Now they're gone, he had no one left on his side. But, once he met Alex, he starting to treat him as his own brother. "Hey, I found the storage door." Alex said, "Good, we can start look for the machine." Maxwell replied.
They walked down the stairs, through the dark storage, they finally reached the bottom. Maxwell turned on the light, "Well, it doesn't changed since the last time I saw it." Maxwell said while inspecting the room, actually, there isn't change at all. It's still the same before he abandoned the house, except for the walls. The paint was already faded, and some crack appeared on the walls. "Through here." Alex said as he opened a wooden door, revealing the machine they looking for.
"Looks like we found the treasure." Maxwell said.
(A/N : I still need OCs! Look at Chapter 19! And don't forget to review! They really help!)