The storm lasted another two days. During that time, the fields became treacherous as trees were felled by the wind and the lake overflowed, spilling gallons into the already sopping wet grass. Lighting and thunder sounded almost continually; the worst part of the storm was toward the end of the second day, when even their tree trembled from the force of it. Classes had completely stopped, except for Mali's boitics training, which she and Liara did in her room or downstairs in the boy's "den". Everyone was ecstatic over the pause in studies, everyone except Oliver.
"We're getting weak!" He was constantly saying, "How are we supposed to win the next match cooped up inside all the time?" So panicked was he, that he made them all dress in their rain coats and run back in forth across the catwalk in the pouring rain, everyone slipping and sliding into each other. He had them constantly going over battle plans and tactics, and they played a lot of team battle videogames. The only good thing that was coming from all this rain was that Mali was slowly catching up on her studies.
She was becoming a better reader every day, and could read whole pages without asking for help on a word. She was still slow, but speed would come with time. As she read her history textbook, Mali became fascinated with the human history. Her teammates were always making fun of her, reading textbooks for fun, but Mali had never had so much information at her disposal before, and she wasn't going to waste it. She had never really known much about the world and its history up until now, and she was just amazed at how old it all was. Her textbook only went back a few decades before the First Contact War, but it was always hinting at past events, even further back. Mali wanted to learn more so badly, that Liara lent her other books that weren't about military battles, actual history books that Mali ate up with vigor. By Wednesday she had a small library growing in her room.
Every day she and Cadence dueled each other with their spears and other various deadly tools. Due to the advanced training programs they were learning they had already almost mastered their weapons. Every four weeks they cycled through two more weapons, so Mali was already looking forward to learning some new ones; she had her eyes set on a crossbow. Besides all this, they had three movie fests, two monopoly wars, and a few games of bloody murder. Also during this time, they finally got their omni-tool business up and running. Alex was a complete whiz at the computer and programming; between him and Victoria they weaseled out most of the glitches within a few hours.
When Ara and Mali had introduced him to the AI he had been immediately thrilled. He couldn't stop talking to her. Victoria, too, was happy that someone was impressed with her skills, seeing how Mali barely understood how to insert a plug into the wall, it was a relief to be able to go into deep computer talk about her programming and the particulars of her design. Mali swore, listening to them talk was like listening to two robots blab in computer speech. Within a few hours of the website and program being up, the cash started flowing in. By the end of the first day they had already made over twenty-five thousand credits, and more was flowing in. As Mali sat there, looking at the screen and seeing the money come in, she realized that she really hadn't thought about what she was going to do with her share. They had decided to split it eight ways (for each member plus Vic), each getting about 13% percent of the total profit. Mali was already looking at over two-thousand credits right now, and by the looks of things it was only the beginning. Upon seeing the stats for the first time, Cadence had exclaimed: "We're all going to be millionaires!"
Mali wondered if that was really true. For the first time in her life, she had everything. She had a home, a family, friends, an education, and money coming in. Mali realized that she actually might have a future, and the thought overwhelmed her. Living in the streets, she had never really thought about it much, not wanting to indulge in wishful thinking and knowing that she'd probably be dead before her twenty-fifth birthday. But now, she had a real chance at one, a real future to look ahead to, if her trial turned out ok. Liara came over almost every night that week, and after biotics practice, they would stay up late talking about the trial and what was to come. Liara coached her in what to say and how to say it, to give Mali the best chance at convincing them to listen to her story.
Finally it was Thursday, the day of the match. The storm had passed and all was clear again, however many parts of the campus were still deemed unsuitable, so they were going to have to use the training arena. It was a large circle of a field that could be altered into any terrain desired. They had used it several times in survival and for tactics training. To Oliver's dismay they had not cancelled it because of the bad weather, so now the whole team was in their locker room, getting ready and waiting to be called. They were suited up in their uniforms, and had each been given a rifle, so it was safe to assume they'd be shooting at people. "What do you think?" Mali asked, sitting down next to a hunched over Oliver. Above their heads there was clomping and shouting as workers got the field ready.
"I don't know. Using the arena—it could be anything up there. I just hope we are ready, we can't afford to lose. Black is only a few points behind."
"Hey," Mali touched his arm, "you're a good leader, you'll get us through this one, just like all the others…remember what I said to you right before I jumped out of the mantis?" Mali asked. Oliver chuckled.
"Can anyone ever forget? It was "This isn't my first rodeo"."
"That's right," Mali patted his hand, "and we'll make it."
"Somali Avon?" A guard came in through the door. "There is someone outside who wants to see you." Surprised, Mali stood up. She handed her gun to the officer and walk out into the afternoon sun. A few feet away Liara was being patted down by another officer. When he was done she came over.
"Their taking no chances, they think I might sneak you something to help with the match." Mali snorted. Liara, help her cheat? Pigs would fly before Liara tried to bend the rules.
"What is it?" Mali asked. Liara bent close.
"Udina arrived early. He is going to watch your match."
"What?" Mali exclaimed.
"Apparently, when Dickens told him you were going to have a match, Udina almost broke his ship in the speeds he travelled to get here in time."
"Why?" Mali asked.
"I don't know, but he said something like he wanted to see what the council was investing in." Mali rubbed her chin and pursed her lips.
"Well that's just weird."
"He's a weird man," Liara said before pulling her closer, "he will be in the center bow, all the way to the left. When you in the arena, find him. Watch out Mali, he's a wolf in sheep's clothing."
"How do you know?" Mali asked.
"I've dealt with him before, during the war. Several times it almost came to a fight, once, he pulled a gun on Shepard, but he was shot before he could hurt anyone."
"Guess he wasn't shot enough." Mali snickered. "Why did he try to shoot Shep? How is he still a councilor?" She asked.
"He was against our plan. No one could blame him, we only had a slim chance of success. He tried to stop us. The council ruled him not guilty and gave him his seat back—although I have reason to believe some heavy money was in play as well. Whatever the case is, he's here now, and it looks like his eyes are set on you." Liara kissed Mali's forehead. "For my sake, BE CAREFUL—and by the goddess, don't go jumping off speeding mantises this time! That almost killed me." Mali wrinkled her nose.
"It almost killed me!" Mali spluttered. "And what can I say, I'm just awesome." She hugged Liara one more time, than turned back to the locker room. Inside, everyone was sitting uneasily, and quietly, no one was spouting their usual banter. Mali could almost see the tension in the air between them. "Come on guys, no one's got anything on us." Everyone looked up in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked.
"I mean, that we have beaten all of them every single time that we've gone out against them. We are the top dogs, we should be walking out there with confidence, not lookin like a whole bunch of boobs! Audin, you're the strongest boy I know! Alex, you are a computer genius and not so bad with a blaster! Charlie, you are our crazy spaz and I wouldn't want anyone else watching my back; Ara, you could walk out there and trample all of them into the dust. Cadence, you could hit a fly from a hundred yards away with one of your knives, and Oliver, you are the best leader and strategy maker I've ever seen. Guys, we have nothing to worry about, so stop moping and get pumped! We are about to blow this place to the roof!" As Mali named each one their heads came up and their backs became a little straighter with pride. Smiles broke out at her easy manner and Charlie actually cheered.
"All teams to elevators. All teams to elevators."
"That's our queue guys." Oliver stood up. "Hands in." Everyone gathered in a circle and stacked their hands on one another.
"Can we say something cool, like, smash brains?" Charlie asked.
"Just keep it normal." Oli chuckled. "On three! One, two, three!"
"Bunk five!" They all cheered as one. As they all piled into the elevator Oliver pulled Mali aside.
"Thanks for that, they really needed it."
"You're welcome." Mali smiled.
"It's just that…boobs?" Oliver gave her such a comical look Mali laughed.
"Street talk." She explained.
"Well, whatever it was it did the trick." Oli smiled.
"Let's do this." Mali smiled.
"Yes, lets." Oli agreed. They jumped into the elevator just as the door were closing. As they rose Mali pulled back her long blonde hair into a ponytail. "Whatever's out there, we stick together." Oliver's voice filled the elevator. "Bermuda formation!" The team filed into a formation that mimicked the formation of geese migrating. Mali stood at point to take the brunt of the force with her boitics, while Oliver stood at her right ready to give orders as necessary. Everyone else filed in behind accordingly. The elevator stopped, and then everyone lurched as it suddenly moved forward a few feet. The elevator doors stayed closed. Through a speaker, a woman's voice spoke.
"The match will begin in thirty seconds. In ten seconds, the elevator will depart, leaving you open. Do not shoot, or your team will be disqualified. The guns ammunition is rubber bullets and explosives are filled with paint. You will have twenty seconds to orientate yourself, then it is open to begin. Your goal is to storm the fortress and gain the banner inside. Do not allow any of the fortress teams to gain ahold of your banner, or your team will be eliminated. Do not attack the other teams outside, however, you are still in competition with them to be the first inside. Good luck."
"What?" Charlie asked. As if in answer, the walls around them suddenly broke apart with a hiss and sank into the ground. Mali felt a cold breeze on her face. Everyone gasped as the arena became clear to them. The arena was split into thirds, with a huge square fortress in the middle, situated on a slight hill. It was the old fashioned types, from the medieval ages. Made form stone, it easily sored one-hundred feet up, its walls riddled with small windows for shooting. It had two huge gates, one facing the east and on west. The battlements were riddled with manual turrets and enemies. The arena interior was surrounded by a high wall, taller than anything else in the arena. Around it, a sea of people who had come to see the match sat on risers, cheering. It looked like the program had invited civilians from the nearby cities to this one, because the roar of the crowd was impossibly loud. Mali looked for the central box, but in such a mess, she couldn't find it.
They themselves had a small fortress, color coded to their bunk. It was smaller, more like a bunker than a fortress, it only had one small square room. A long thin slit in the wall made an open window for viewing the fortress and an open path for their one mounted turret, which Charlie automatically gravitated too. In one corner of the room a small disk sat on the floor, a hologram of a snarling Chimera pacing back and forth emanating up from it. The room was stocked with shelves of all sorts of equipment and weapons including grenades, shields, and extra guns and clips. Out in the arena, Mali could see the other small bunkers spread evenly out amongst the arena. The colors were silver, and yellow, so that meant that black, green, and blue were inside defending the fort. The landscape was forested, with clear fields for fifty meters from the tree line to the wall of the main fortress. "Here's the plan," Oliver started, but he was interrupted by the sounding of the buzzer.
"Let the match begin!" The female voice exclaimed. Immediately the turrets on the battlements began firing as their opponents let loose on the three separate bunkers. Everyone ducked, nut there was no impact. Ara peeked over the edge of the window, than got up, laughing. Much to the annoyance of the fortress, the turret's range fell short of each bunker of about two-hundred meters. "Man, these things aren't ever fair!" Cade exclaimed.
"It's not about fair, it's about proving your skill under extreme duress." Audin quoted something Dickens had said to him, trying to sound wise. "Toughen up."
"Audin, I don't even think you know what duress means." Cade shot-back.
"Good point." The big guy chuckled.
"Focus!" Oli shouted.
"They'll have to come themselves if they want to get our banner!" Ara exclaimed.
"We will still have to worry about them when we get close." Oliver said. "Now listen up. We will have to split the team up to defend and attack at the same time. I'm leaving Charlie, Alex, and Ara here." Ara opened her mouth but Oliver held up a hand. "You're the best sniper we have." He said. "That means that Cadence, Audin, Mali and I will storm the keep, and this is how we will do it…" Oliver outlined his plan, and Mali was impressed with its functionality.
"There's only one problem," Mali said, "We will get blasted to bits by those turrets before we will get close enough to the wall." The team nodded with her.
"No, we will." Oliver smiled. "You've forgotten our secret weapon—Mali's new powers." Understanding dawned on all of them and smiles broke out.
"This could work," Cadence smiled, "this could actually work."
"We will need more than just us to storm one of those battlements." Mali said, "There are at least twice as many of them as us up there on one of those things."
"We will need help." Audin nodded.
"The banner can also act as a comm device." Alex was in the corner, examining the silver disk. "We could call up the other teams."
"But what about being in competition?" Ara asked.
"None of us can get in there without at least another team. Besides, we still have to find the banner once we get in. We still would have a chance. Alex, hail the other teams, everyone else, gear up." Mali and the others raided the shelves, gathering what they could. They strapped on padded jerkins and hard helmets, to protect them from the force of the paintballs. Mali strapped on a belt that could hold what she needed. The only other weapons Mali took with her was a pistol and a knife.
"Hey! A can of camo spray!" Cadence yelled excitedly. Everyone gathered around, and as a last team gathering, sprayed each other up until all looked like dark green and brown wood elves.
"Alright everyone, this is it." Oliver saluted them. "Alex, where is the rendezvous?"
"About a hundred meters straight ahead, it's a small clearing, you'll know it when you see it. The silvers ignored my hails, but the yellow is coming."
"Good." Oliver smiled. "Alright people, this is war! We either go down or we rise up and fight! Who's with me?!" The bunker was filled with yells and chest pounding as the small group of kids yelled their defiance. "You're like my family," Oliver smiled, "we live or we die together." Ara and Charlie took up their positions and waved goodbye as the offenders trooped out the door. Their bunker was situated on the side of the arena, with a steep hill leading down to the forest floor. They scrambled down the steep incline, disturbing dirt and rocks as they went. "Alright, bury these suckers!" Oliver held aloft one of the few land mines that had been in the bunker. The team spread out, and did the best they could to cover as much ground as possible with the land-mines. When it was done, Oliver turned back to the bunker and gave a thumbs up. Then, they all filed into the trees, heading for the clearing.
As they walked they stayed alert for any movement, but it was unlikely. Ara was scoping the area and would alert them to any possible danger. They moved quickly and silently, blending into the shadows and trees as best they could. Only a few minutes later, Mali sensed a gap in the tree life ahead.
"The clearing is right up ahead." She warned.
"Cadence, check it out." Oliver ordered. Like a ghost, Cadence flitted away, not making a sound. Mali shook her head from side to side, impressed. Many people would be hesitant to put a 12 year old on the front lines, but she was probably the deadliest one of them all.
"Clear." Cadence whispered through her mic a few seconds later. "The yellows are already there."
"Let's go." Oliver moved forward, Audin and Mali close behind. For a moment, Oliver hesitated at the tree line, than, taking a deep breath, he moved into the clearing. Cadence steppe doubt next to Mali; the teen hadn't even heard the girl come up alongside her. "Hey!" Oliver called as he strode across the learning confidently, all traces if fear gone, or hidden. A tall girl of about 18 strode up to them, a raven ponytail flowing out behind her. She offered out her hand and Oliver took it.
"So," she said, "it looks like we are allies, for now."
"I think it was meant to be." Oliver replied. "Each of us only have certain equipment, the match makers must have designed it that way so we would have to pair up."
"Did you bring the camo paint?" Oliver nodded and tossed a bag to a guy standing behind the lead yellow, cans clinked inside.
"And the grapple hooks?" he asked. The girl motioned to a pile of rope off to one side.
"What's the plan?" She asked. Oliver filled her in. While Mali waited, she examined the other team. They numbered almost three times as many as Mali's group. It had never made sense how the program had split the teams up, but however they had done it, they had done so on skill level, or so Mali thought. How else could her team be so small and theirs so large, yet in the eyes of the council, be evenly matched? "Your plan sound good to me." The girl said after Oliver was done. "It sounds like our best bet to get into the keep."
"Alright then, follow me." Oliver said. Members of the yellow group picked up the pile of grappling hooks and followed them. One tried to hand Mali one, but she denied it. He gave her a weird look, but didn't protest.
"Oliver, there are enemies ahead of your location and closing in. I can see them on my thermal, there are about thirteen of them. "
"Thanks Ara." Oliver said, than relayed the message to the leader girl.
"Alright people, spread out, we'll take them by surprise." Before anyone could move, however, Cadence interrupted.
"I have a better idea." She said. The older girl looked shocked and a little annoyed at the little girl's interruptance, Mali crossed her arms.
"If she speaks, you should listen," Mali said, "because usually what she says usually saves your life." The girl sized her up for a second, and Mali thought that she might've just ruined their alliance. Around her hands tightened on triggers. Then, unexpectedly, the girl laughed.
"You got some guts kid." The girl said, "I like that."
"We go into the trees." Cadence said. A few minutes later, the enemy party was filing below them, unaware of the danger above. Using hand signals, Mali's group silently and swiftly spread out among the branches. One by one, as the kids below them walked by, someone above would slither down and take them out, silently dragging them into the bushes on either side and "killing" them. Unbeknownst to those on the ground, as they progressed, their line got shorter and shorter until there was only one left. A strong looking guy from yellow took care of him. As the last man fell, the troop climbed down from the trees.
"That was awesome Cade!" Mali complimented her.
"Thanks. The way we did it made sure we didn't give away our position and numbers, as well as keeping you from exposing your special gift yet."
"Very smart." Oliver and Audin came up behind them. Yellows were passing the small girl admiring glances.
"Now what?" The girl from yellow asked.
"We go with the—," Suddenly from behind them there were explosions and yells as kids found the land mines in front of their fortress.
"Their attacking!" Audin exclaimed.
"Us too!" The girl from yellow was listening to someone yelling at her over her earpiece. "We need to do this fast!"
"Ok." Oliver nodded, girding himself up. "Everyone, follow me to the wall! We don't break cover until Mali gives us the signal!" He turned to her and grinned, the battle light in his eyes. "Go do your thing plant girl!" He yelled over the explosions.
"Stay safe." Mali nodded.
"Never." He grinned back, than turned back to the group. "Follow me!" He and the rest trotted into the trees and were gone. Mali took a deep breath, and then headed in the opposite way. She had to get as far away as she could from them, or her distraction wouldn't work. She pushed herself, sprinting through the trees, making them bend out of her way so she could go faster. Time was of the essence if they wanted to break in before the opposing side broke into them. A few hundred Yards away, Mali deemed it far enough, and altered the course of her trajectory toward the fortress. As she neared the tree line, she looked for her friends. They were crouched at the edge, eyes scanning the forest for any sign of a signal. They had no idea.
I
As Mali sped toward the end of the forest, she summoned her biotics, and her skin blazed to life. Knowing she only had seconds before the opponents on the battlefield saw her, she pushed harder, running faster than she had ever run before. She would need all the speed she could get for what she had in mind. Mali pulled the trees and vines and roots toward her, gathering up as much plant life as she could muster. The forest around her seemed to tremble and start to hum with power. Mali neared the end of the tree line. She should have felt fear, facing down turrets, a thick rock wall, and a battalion of enemies, but all she felt was determination.
With a huge yell, Mali launched herself at the wall. The trees and plants around her exploded as they too were compelled to move. Tree limbs grew into thick rams within a blink of an eye, brambles became like steel barbed wire, and the ground beneath her rolled as roots surfaced like humpback whales breaching the ocean. It looked like a massive green wave of plant life had suddenly exploded form the forest and was speeding toward the wall with the speed of a leer jet. Mali was lifted off her feet as the wave picked her up and carried her at its helm, her hair whipping and her eyes shining. Her signal was big, powerful, connected, and absolutely distracting.
The battlements swarmed with action as her opponents ran toward the part of the wall she would attack, just as planned. The pilots of the turrets started swiveling their muzzles toward her massive creation, and more importantly, away from the real danger. Silently, her team were making their way over the unsupervised part of the field, relying on her distraction to keep them safe as they attempted to climb the wall with their grappling hooks. Mali turned her attention back to the wall; if it was a distraction they needed, it was a distraction she would give. As her wave loomed up over the wall, kids started running away from fear of it, clearing the place where she would collide. The turrets fired, spitting the rubber bullets at the plant life, but to no effect. Mali winced as she felt the slight weakening of the plants, but she held the wave together.
With a battle cry, Mali leapt off her wave to the side, onto the battlements, and rolled to her feet as the plants crashed into the wall. A more accurate term would be, shredded, the wall. The huge forest limbs tore through the rock like it was cheese, leaving gaping holes in its framework. The battlements rocked as they took the force of Mali's power. The forest attacked, destroying anything in its path. Unnoticed by the group, the forest itself had been slowly creeping up alongside the wave, and within a few moments, it too was attacking the fortress. Whole trees thrashed against the wall. Roots climbed up the wall, burrowing in and out of the rock like a dolphin in water. Brambles, roots, and limbs attacked opponents, their guns ineffective against the raw biotic power. It was total mayhem on the east side of the battlements.
People were running in fear, not knowing what was going on. Rubber bullets were fired randomly; no amount of fire power was effective against such brute force. The turrets were unwilling to fire into their own number, lest they eliminate their own teammates from the game, and so they stood by, watching helplessly as their ranks were torn to shreds. Reinforcements were long in coming as people stood to watch the incomprehensible sight of plants moving, and attacking people at that. Amidst it all, Mali fought her way through. Dodging wild gunfire, ducking under flailing arms, jumping over fallen bodies. She shot with her pistol just as much as she punched with her fists and kicked with her feet. She knew that she was a sitting duck, surrounded by enemies, and it would only be a matter of time before they recovered from their earlier shock. Even as Mali was thinking this, kids from other battlements were streaming towards the fight to help their comrades.
Mali headed as best she could in the direction of the east side, she needed to get to her teammates. Behind her, the flailing mass of undergrowth was slowly being hacked to shreds by knives and swords. She ducked as a boy lunged at her with his rifle butt and kicked him behind his knee with her foot. He toppled like a sack of flour. Mali ran faster; she quickly threw up abiotic shield as someone took a shot at her head, the rubber bullet bouncing harmlessly off its protective surface. As she was about to continue, a blow to the head knocked her forward, making her stumble down onto her hands and knees. Mali quickly turned, and through the throbbing pan in her head, she could see a club descending toward her face. She quickly rolled to the side to avoid the blow, cursing herself for her stupidity, and swept her attacker off their feet with a quick kick. They fell to the hard stone, and Mali got up to her feet, preparing to run, but was pulled back down by her ankle. The girl, for it was a girl, rolled on top of her and pinned Mali's arms to her sides with her thighs. Harshly, Mali kneed the girl in the small of her back with all the force she could muster. With a loud grunt the girl was thrown partially over Mali's head, her abdomen landing on Mali's face. A kick to the head form a passing soldier put the girl out cold. She rolled out from under the girl's dead weight and kicked the girls club out of her reach, and for god measure, she shot her in the back with her pistol. "You won't be bothering me again." Mali smiled.
She looked up just in time to see the first few member of her teammates streaming past her toward the enemy lines, screaming bloody war cries and pumping their guns in the air. "Finally!" Mali smiled as Oliver came jogging up to her. He started her by grabbing her arm and continuing on, not stopping like she had thought. "What are you doing?!" Mali yelled over the pandemonium as she was dragged along.
"We have to hurry!" He answered as they ran. Oliver was leading her to a small staircase off to the side that was so narrow Mali would have missed it. "The blues are right behind us! Apparently they were just waiting for us to do all the dirty work. We have to search for the banners now, while the yellows are distracted and the blues are climbing the ropes!"
"Where are Cadence and Audin?" Mali asked, taking to steps at a time behind Oliver.
"Making life difficult for everyone." Oliver looked back at her and smiled, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"What are they doing?" Mali asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Let's just say that the blues better know how to rock climb." He laughed. They continued down the steps to a low door. "You first." Oliver motioned, "I'll cover you." Mali nodded and pushed the door open. They had entered the keep. The inside of the fortress was surprisingly like the old medieval pictures Mali had seen. The walls were lined with torches that made the light uncertain and made their shadows flicker over the large blocks of gray stone that made up the corridor. The hall was quiet, except for their breathing.
"Where do you think it might be?" Mali whispered as they crept down the passageway.
"I know exactly where they'd put it." Oliver beckoned her to a small rectangle window. Down below them was a small courtyard in front of a massive double doored hall built into the side of the wall. "In every video game and movie I know, the important stuff is always stored in the keep of the fortress, or the hall, you could say."
"How stupid," Mali commented, "to put something you're hiding somewhere everyone expects it to be."
"You're telling me." He answered with a sardonic grin. "Let's go." The hallway ended with a flight of stairs leading down to the courtyard. They peeked out from the threshold, wary of danger, but there was none. The courtyard was as silent as the hallway. "That's weird." Oliver whispered.
"Maybe they all went up to help out on the battlements." Mali suggested.
"I don't think so…" He scanned the one more time, but shrugged. "We don't have a choice but to use the front door. How is your distraction doing?" Mali closed her eyes and reached out for the life-force of the plants, but there was none.
"It's gone—hacked to bits." Mali answered.
"Well, it wasn't going to last forever." Oliver sighed. "I can't see a better time to go than now."
"I'll be right behind you." Mali smiled. Oliver nodded.
"Let's go." They stayed as low as they could as they quickly traversed the uneven cobblestone ground. Mali clutched her pistol tightly as they crossed the open expanse, ready for anything. "Help me with this." Oliver motioned to one of the large doors. They both threw their weight upon it, and it slowly started to swing inwards. When it was open far enough, they both slipped inside and pushed it closed.
"Wow." Mali whistled appreciatively as she turned from the door. The hall was a square room with a high vaulted ceiling. Wood beams ran across the ceiling, long banners that were attached to them hung down and fluttered slightly with the draft the opening of the door had caused. In the middle of the room was an elevated circular platform that held a silver disk with a coiled winged snake projected above it. The snake flapped its wings angrily, as if sensing their presence.
"There it is." Oliver whispered. Mali took a step forward, but Oliver grabbed her arm. "No, wait! There is something off here."
"We shouldn't waste time!" Mali warned. "What are you waiting for?"
"In every videogame—"
"—Uh, not this again!—"
"You always have to fight a boss or something to get it."
"Seriously?!" Mali exclaimed angrily. "This isn't a videogame Oliver! Let's just go get the thing and be done! It's right there!"
"I was right about where it was going to be, wasn't I?" Mali rolled her eyes.
"Whatever."
"Let's just be on our toes." He replied. Mali gave him her "no-duh" look and stepped forward. Immediately a hidden noose that they had not seen tightened around one of her ankles and swept her off her feet, dangling her a good fifteen feet up in the air.
"Great." Mali said as she swung back and forth from her ankle. Oliver tried not to smirk.
"You can't say I didn't tell you so." He said cheekily.
"Just get me down," Mali rolled her eyes, "I dropped my pistol."
"Alright," He replied, still laughing quietly, "Just hold—"Suddenly there was a crash as the big double doors behind them were thrown open. Mali could not believe her eyes. Marching towards them with ground shaking stomps was a huge machine. It stood a good twelve feet tall, with thick legs and arms. It was white, and where its hands should have been were two barrels, one looked like a turret muzzle, the other, like a grenade launcher. A small cockpit with a gray glassy covering was the head, and Mali could see the silhouette of someone inside.
"I guess that's the boss." Mali said sardonically, swinging upside down.
"An atlas…just stay there, I'll deal with it." Oliver grabbed the rifle that was on his back, he and the machine looked like they were having an old-fashioned western standoff.
"No! Get me down!" Mali yelled, she could feel the blood starting to pump into her brain. "Let me help." Oliver ignored her. The machine and the boy stood, scrutinizing each other, sizing each other up. Mali swung helplessly above their heads, wriggling and thrashing to get free. Quickly the war-machine's turret arm swept up and fired, sending a hundred bullets speeding toward Oliver, but he was ready. Oliver quickly rolled away, popping back onto his feet and sending a shot toward the glass incased person inside. The rubber bullet bounced off its armor harmlessly.
"No fair." Oli complained. He dove away again just in time as the atlas shot at him again.
"GET ME DOWN!" Mali growled in frustration. She watched helplessly as Oliver began a risky game of cat and mouse. She knew he couldn't keep it up forever, and their competition wouldn't let them either. Mali twisted on her rope as she tried to keep them in view, but it was useless. "Blast it all!" She yelled. Then Mali remembered the knife she had stuck in her boot. With a great huff she lurched toward her right boot-top, her muscles straining against gravity. Her fingertips caught the hilt of the knife, and Mali just barely caught it as it came tumbling out. She started sawing at the rope around her ankle. Below her, Oliver was in a fight for his life, so to speak. He was only staying ahead of the machine's fire by a combination of insane skill and sheer luck. The last few fibers of rope gave way with a final swipe and Mali plummeted toward the hard stone floor. She only had time to slow her fall with her biotics before she hit the ground, but it could have been worse.
Groaning, she got to her feet; the rope shreds dangled empty above her. Currently, the atlas's back was to her, but she knew it wouldn't stay like that for long. Without thinking, Mali launched herself onto the white monster and started hacking at the glass dome, but to no avail. The knife only thunked harmlessly off the protective surface.
"What are you doing, are you insane?!" Oliver yelled.
"I'm trying to save your butt!" Mali yelled back. She was so focused on berating Oliver that she didn't see the arm speeding for her face.
"Watch out!" Oliver warned, but it was too late. Mali was hit full force by the arm of the war machine. Her body was thrown off the atlas, and smacked into a wall behind it. Mali wheezed as she sank to the floor; the knockout had stolen her breath. "Hey, ugly cheater dude, over here!" Oli waved his arms to distract the machine from her prone form. The machine turned and fired, but Oli was way ahead of it. From somewhere inside his uniform he pulled out a grenade, and threw it at the thing; the explosion knocked it off its feet, but it was only air, and wouldn't hold it off for long. Her body was on fire with pain, and her head throbbed like a bulldozer had rolled over it, but somehow Mali got back to her feet. Oliver was soon going to be cornered, and he needed her.
Mali knew that nothing they had was strong enough to get through its armor. She looked desperately around the hall for anything they could use, but nothing came to light. Mali had almost lost hope when she spied something on the far wall, almost hidden in shadow. "Distract it for a bit!" Mali yelled to Oliver, running toward the hanging object on the wall.
"What do you think I've been doing this whole time?!" He yelled back as he ducked behind a support beam. Mali took the wall with full force, running up it, letting her speed and momentum carry her. She got two steps up and launched herself at the spear on the wall, successfully plucking it from its perch. She landed safely and rolled, than got back to her feet. In an effort to make the place seem realistic, someone had plastered mediaeval weapons all over the walls, not thinking that anyone would be crazy enough to use one. The spear was made out of sturdy oak, with a broad leaf blade as the head. She tested the weight of it in her hand, it was heavier than the more modern spears she was used to, but it would do. It twirled gracefully as she took it through one of the basic moves, making a small whistling sound as it spun in her hand.
Mali knew it was a risk, but she powered up her omni-tool. "Vic, I need to know where that thing's heart is." She whispered. At the moment, the machine was slowly crouching toward where Oliver was ducked behind the beam. Every once in a while he would pop out and shoot, but it wasn't doing him any good. There was a long silence, and Mali was starting to think that Vic might not have heard her, but then her voice answered.
"It has a power source right in the middle of its chest. About four inches in diameter. Thrown with enough force, your spear could penetrate its armor." Mali smiled nervously.
"Four inches, I can do that. Just like hitting a watermelon at a fair—a very very small watermelon." Mali answered. She took a deep breath, than hefted the spear. She needed to get as close as possible before she threw it, to give herself the best chance. "Get ready to enact the omni-shield Vic, I'm gonna need it." Mali started too bound toward the atlas, running as fast as she could. She was still about fifteen yards away when the kid in the machine saw her. It quickly straightened and pointed its gun at her, but not the gun that she had expected. The grenade launched with the speed of a lightning bolt, and at the same time, Mali threw her spear, and at the same time shouted, "Now!" Her omni-shield popped up just as the grenade exploded, throwing her many feet away. The shield protected her from most of the blast, but she was still dizzy.
The spear had been thrown correctly, but not soon enough. The blast of the grenade had made the machine stumble form the force, and the spear had impaled the machine a few inches from its target. Mali cursed and stood up. The machine was reeling, off balance from her attack, but not for long. Mali knew what she had to do. "I need my omni-blade Vic." She said. Without argument, the AI obeyed her wishes. Mali started to run toward the hulking mass of white, and as she did the omni-blade started to construct itself. Its light blue blade shone iridescent as it folded out. Mali grit her teeth, it was going to be close. The machine was righting itself, its gun arms were coming up, pointing at her. With a yell, Mali launched herself at it, flaming with biotic power, her eyes blazing with silver light. She let out a blast that knocked the machine onto its back, something she didn't know she could do. Mali came down on it hard, burying her blade deep into its armored chest. With a small explosion the power source inside it broke apart, releasing its energy. The electricity traveled up the blade and into Mali's arm, and from there across her body. She screamed as one-thousand volts of energy shocked her.
Mali's back arched with pain, and her arms tugged weakly at the blade that was stuck in her quarry, but it was in too deep. Then Oliver was there, and he was pulling at her arm, getting it un-stuck, getting her off the atlas; getting shocked himself in the process. Mali stumbled off its chest and fell to her knees a few feet away, her body still shaking form the electrical current. Her clothes were smoking and she was pretty sure that her skin was blackened. Oliver plopped down beside her, panting. "You…you are crazy." He wheezed.
"I know." Mali groaned back, both of them were smoking, little wisps curling above their heads. She looked toward the platform, "we've got to get the—"
"Hey guys!" Someone yelled form the rafters above. Both looked up to see Cadence relaxing above their heads on a thick oak beam, one of her legs swinging back and forth carefree, the banner in her lap.
"What the…?" Mali rasped.
"When I finished sabotaging the ropes, I followed your path here," Cadence explained, "When I came I saw that you had that guy distracted, so I just nabbed the banner when he wasn't looking. The match has been over for the last five minutes." Mali groaned and collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.
"And you decided not to tell us?" She asked.
"It seemed to me that you guys had it handled."
"Phfff." Mali scoffed exasperatedly.
"Next time," Oli looked up at her, "tell us."