Yay! I'm not late this time! Last time on Code name FE: I idiotically forgot to update the last chapter on Saturday and Marth took part of the team to look for the alien Commander. What will happen to them? Let's find out!
Chapter 12: Dark science
As soon as Marth's team entered the building they noticed that the doors around them were frozen solid leaving the stairway in front of them the only way forward.
"Looks like we only got one way to go." John said.
"It could be a trap." Robin warned.
"Leave it to Queegueg!"
The man shoot another penguin out of his gun and it waddled up the stairs.
The team heard a loud boom and then the sound of ice shattering.
"Ha! I done it!"
"There might be more. Let's be careful." Marth said as the team slowly moved up the stairs.
As soon as they got to the top they saw two hallways on opposite ends of the room.
Soon aliens came out from the halls.
"Here we go!" John said readying his gun.
"Lucina, remember what I taught you." Marth said as he brought out his blade.
"Right."
Marth thrusted Falchion through one of the Prowlers as Lucina cut through another with her sword.
Robin slashed a Hound with his Levin sword.
John shot a grenade at two Prowlers and Queequeg used his Penguin lobber to destroy a Ripper.
"What should he do now?" Lucina asked.
Marth though for a minute.
"Henry and the others can't hold out forever. We should split up. Queequeg and I will take the left hallway while the rest of you go through the right."
"Are you sure you two will be fine on your own?" Robin asked.
"Don't worry. We can take them." Queequeg smiled.
"Alright. Just watch yourselves." John warned.
John's group went down the hall into another room.
"Looks like nobody's around." John said.
"Look."
Robin pointed to a hole in the floor.
The team looked into the hole to see a lone Slasher in the room below them.
"This is too easy!" John said getting his hammer arm out.
"Wait!"
Robin's warning was too late. John jumped down the hole and crushed the alien under his hammer.
"Target eliminated!" John grinned. "Now where-"
He looked around to see that he was surrounded by Rippers.
"Uh-oh."
One of them charged at him and knocked the gun out of his hands.
Before it could attack Robin and Lucina jumped down and sunk their swords into it.
"That's why I said to wait!"
"Robin watch out!"
A Ripper charged at him but Lucina blocked its claws with her sword.
The Ripper pushed and launched her weapon out if her hands and prepared to strike again.
"Back off!"
Robin rushed forward and drove his sword into the monster.
The last two Rippers ran too Robin.
John picked up Lucina's sword and brought it downward on one of them. But the sword somehow couldn't cut through and bounced off the monster. The Ripper didn't even seem to notice.
"What the-!?"
Lucina brought out her bow and shoot at the monsters wounding them and Robin finished them off with his sword.
"Is everyone alright?" Robin asked.
"Yeah. Sorry about that." John said walking up to them after retrieving his Bear grenade.
"I have to say thought you're a lot stronger than you look." John said giving Lucina her sword. "I couldn't even nick those creeps with this thing."
"It's not a matter of strength. I won't deny that you are far stronger than me." Lucina said as she sheathed her sword.
"Then what's the deal?"
"This sword has been passed down my family. Only those among the exalted bloodline that it deems worthy can wield it."
"A sword with a mind of its own? You guys and your world are full of surprises."
"At any rate we should keep looking." Robin said.
"Where should we look next?" Lucina asked him.
"Let's start there." Robin said pointing at a staircase going downward.
Two Prowlers were patrolling a room. Suddenly a penguin landed on one of them and detonated.
The other one looked up and Mart jumped down from a hole in the ceiling to strike it with his rapier.
"We must all meet our fate."
"Well done!" Queequeg said jumping down next to him.
"Same to you my friend." Marth smiled.
"I hear that you are from another world. It must indeed be an interesting one. Is it different from ours?"
"Yes. I have never seen most of this kind of equipment in my kingdom."
"You rule a kingdom?" Queequeg asked the king.
"Yes….after my father's death I was put in charge of protecting it."
"I was also born a prince of an island kingdom." Queequeg smiled.
"Really?"
"Yes, but I decided to explore the world before taking the throne and our ship was attacked by a monstrous whale and sunk. I was adrift until S.T.E.A.M. saved me." Queequeg explained.
"So why did you decide to stay? Too return the favor?" Marth asked.
"That be part of it. But like I said I want to see the world. I think this is the best way to learn more of it."
"I see."
"Anyway we go. Our friends waiting."
"Of course."
With that the two men went down the stairs.
Robin and his team looked down the stairs to see a group of Prowlers.
"Look!"
Lucina pointed at a purple Prowler in the center of them.
"That must be the one!" John said.
The prowlers turned around.
"So much for stealth." John said getting his gun out.
The aliens started firing at them.
A projectile hit Robin in the shoulder causing him to drop his weapon.
"I'll keep you safe!"
Lucina jumped in front of him and deflected the swarm of attacks with her sword but one struck her in the leg making her fall to one knee.
John fired a grenade but the prowlers dived out of the way.
"I'm out of steam!"
The Prowlers prepared to fire again.
Boom
An explosion hit the from behind blowing the away.
The commander survived the attack but as it got up to retaliate a sword priced straight through its chest.
"Like I would let you!"
The sword cut through the monster tearing it in half.
The team looked past the monster to see who saved them.
"Is everyone alright?" Marth asked as he ran to his friends with Queequeg following behind.
"Yeah, thanks to you two." Robin said picking up his sword with his uninjured arm.
Marth used his Falchion to heal Robin and Lucina.
"This is John. We took down the commander."
"Good. We just finished up here." Henry replied.
"Nicely done agents." Said the president "The occupying force is retreating."
"Were on our way back." Robin told them.
"Alright. We'll bring the Liberty to pick you up."
After shaking hands with Queen Victoria the president watched as she she went into a car that took her to a safe place to stay.
The team watched from a window in the base.
"I'm gonna miss her." Tom said. "She seemed like a sweet old lady."
"Sweet old lady's got no place in a war." John told him.
The tactical officer turned to them.
"Repairs complete! The image projector is functional again."
Images appeared on the screens. But nobody liked what they saw.
The cities around the world were in ruins.
"How've dey spread so far so fast?" Queequeg asked
Tiger Lily stared in horror.
"Looks like everybody's under attack… Even America."
Henry turned his attention to the monitor in the center.
"Washington…fallen?"
Henrys wireless buzzed.
"Captain Fleming, we've received an urgent communique!" The president told him. "We must get underway immediately. Our destination is in a New England town called Arkham. Miskatonic University."
Back on the ship the team gathered around the president with a monitor displaying the university behind him.
"Miskatonic is home to our research into Dark Science. If must be defended."
"What exactly is Dark Science?" Robin asked Tom.
"All S.T.E.A.M.'s secret weapons I s'pose. Steam guns, big mechanical men, an' the like."
"All made with dark science." Lion added.
"And that's what makes 'em powerful?" John asked.
"Sounds like!" Tom said.
"But even with that we couldn't save Britain." Lucina said in disappointment.
"She's right. We needed something more…" Tiger Lily said.
"We rushed in too quickly, I'd say." Lion told them.
"Power by itself is only capable of so much." Ike said.
"Right. We're going to need a good strategy to win this." Robin added.
"We gotta take de fight to them." Qeequeg suggested.
"Agreed. We need to strike at the heart of our foe." Marth said.
"Everyone, over here." Henry said looking at the monitor.
"Is that a graveyard?" John asked.
"The enemy have the area surrounded." The president told the team. "They're trying to take the university. You must stop them at any cost."
"Understood, sir." Henry said before he turned to the team.
"Let's move out!"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
Fun fact: the line I used for Marth when he defeated the Commander is the English translation of one of his counter attack lines in smash bros. Will our heroes save the university? Could this "Dark Science" be the key to saving the world? Will we find Batman in Arkham? Find out all this (I wish. That would have been interesting.) And more next time!