Chapter 8: Twin Battlefields, Part 2
U.S.S Argon Sky, 30 miles from Vacuo
5:59 pm
1 hour and 30 minutes before Meridian...
Evan and Andrea awoke in the hangar bay of the Argon Sky, an Aletian heavy assault carrier designed by a special branch of the Aletian military. But this ship has a bloodied history: starting with the deaths of over 72 workers in a construction accident. The next event was its mysterious disappearance during an assignment to Northern Atlas, followed up by the discovery of its entire crew turning up dead in a warehouse in the city of Acrisius. But the ship itself was never found, so any soldier in the army called it "The Doomed Ship." The truth to it's disappearance was that it had been hijacked by Inquisition agents, who turned loose their failures or "Laz" as they called them onto the ship. The siblings and partners are just about to learn about them...
" You alright?" Evan asked.
" I think so." Andrea responded.
" Where are we?" Evan said.
" Judging from the size, shape of the hangar and number of worn-down airships, we are onboard an Aletian battle cruiser, second generation." Andrea said; which had amazed her brother.
" How on earth did you know that?" Evan said.
" I paid attention in engineering class." Andrea responded.
" Okay." Evan said.
They began to hear the sound of hundreds of footsteps, and they spun around to see Yang and Blake running for their lives from human beings that looked to have segments of bone plates on their skin. They appeared to have start dragging some kind of blade behind them.
" Run!" Yang screamed.
" What the hell?" Andrea said.
" We've got to go!" Blake said, grabbing Evan's arm.
" Hey!" Evan said.
Andrea and Yang joined the running duo as the attackers pursued them, screaming like wild animals. The four kids escaped out of the hangar, with Andrea jury-rigging a bulkhead to close behind them; giving them a moment to catch their breath...
" What the hell is going on?" Evan asked.
" The Inquisition ditched us here after they abducted us, leaving us with those...things." Blake explained.
" I heard some of the guys call these things Laz." Yang added.
" Laz?" Andrea asked.
" They clearly got the idea for the name from the legend of Lazarus." Evan said.
" Great, you can tell us the story once we're off this deathtrap." Andrea remarked.
" Is there anything we need to know about this ship?" Evan asked.
" Well, we're on the Argon Sky." Blake said.
" We're on the doomed ship?" Andrea said in a worried tone.
" Wasn't doomed, just hijacked." Yang said.
" The Inquisition hijacked the ship and slaughtered everyone using the Laz." Blake said.
" What the hell for?" Evan asked.
" We don't know." Blake responded.
" We need to find the comms center. That's our only chance of getting a ride out of here." Evan said.
" Do even how to operate an Aletian military communication set-up?" Yang asked.
" Trust me." Evan said in a cocky tone.
" I have a bit of know-how on these ships, so it's gonna be close-by the bridge." Andrea said.
" How would you know that?" Yang asked in a surprised tone.
" My brother has his tech-smarts, I have engineering smarts." Andrea simply responded.
They immediately took off running towards the comm center, killing any Laz along the way and Andrea leading them. They arrived in the comm room, killed two other Laz, and Evan quickly plugged in his high-tech bracer and opened a comm channel...
" Hello, hello, is there anyone out there?" Evan said.
" Argon Sky, this is Sierra-Delta-niner, we hear you." A voice on the radio said.
" Sierra-Delta, this is Evan Williams, we are trapped on the ship with two of the abducted Beacon students and unidentified hostiles." Evan said.
" Williams, this is Commander Dante Perez, what are you doing on a military issue ship?" Dante asked.
" We didn't get here by choice dude, just get here before we get munched on by possibly undead freaks." Evan said.
" We're on our way, get to a hangar bay." Dante ordered.
" We'll use one of the alternate ones since the main is infested with those things." Evan said.
" We'll be there in 10 minutes, over and out." Dante said.
" Is there a secondary hangar?" Evan asked his sister.
" Yes, the cargo hangar, its on the third level of the lower decks." Andrea said.
" Well what are we standing around for? Come on!" Yang said.
The kids raced to the cargo elevator and rode it down to the third level in hopes of using the cargo elevator to escape. But Evan gets separated from the group in a Laz ambush, and discovers something in the ship's systems that shocked him. It was malware program that had infected the ship's controls, programming the ship to head to a major trading city in Vacuo...
" I've got to warn them." Evan said as he raced to the open cargo bay doors.
" Andrea, where are you?" Evan screamed into his personal headset.
" RIGHT HERE!" Andrea screamed as the airship appeared in the open exit.
Evan jumped to the airship, and was pulled aboard by Yang. Dante was a young man in an Aletian troopers uniform with a grey cloak over it and a sword at his side and a rifle in his hand, and he was among three others.
" Xavier, crowd control." Dante said the taller boy, pointing towards the large group of Laz charging them.
" Coming right up." Xavier responded, pulling a large shotgun off his back and starting to shoot at the Laz.
" You kids alright?" The blonde-haired girl, Alexis, asked.
" We're good." Andrea said.
" That ship needs to be destroyed." Evan said.
" What do you mean?" Dante asked.
" That ship is programmed to fly right to a massive populated area in Vacuo." Evan explained.
" Where is programmed to fly?" The other boy, Blaze, asked before there was a large boom.
Xavier looked to see the Argon Sky's engines had fired up; accelerating the ship towards Vacuo's direction with great speed...
" Dante, he's right. It's gaining speed and heading to Vacuo, fast." Xavier said.
" Blaze, follow that ship!" Dante ordered.
" Got it, hang on." Blaze said as the airship spun around and gave chase.
Currently...
Meridian Shipyards
6:35 pm
Winter, Weiss, Ruby, Donnic, and Desmond were staring in shock at the fact they just saw the Argon Sky crash land in the city. Desmond was handed a pair of binoculars by Barnes, and he looked to see hundreds of Laz pouring out of the wreck of the massive cruiser...
" You were right about those Laz things. There are hundreds of those things pouring out of the wreck." Desmond said.
" We need to get over there and help." Winter said.
" If those things wander into the residential district, they're gonna overrun the place." Weiss said.
" Well, what are we standing around for, let's go!" Ruby said.
" You heard the lady, let's roll!" Donnic said.
The five of them raced off the Athena, leaving it in Barnes's care and hurrying to the crash site with intentions in the aiding in the containment efforts. They ran past hundreds of panicking civilians and dock workers, and crossed paths with Evan, Andrea, Yang, Blake, and Xavier and Dante.
" Yang!" Ruby said as she ran up and hugged her sister.
" I'm glad that you're alright, Ruby." Yang said.
" We better get moving, the Laz are going to be all over this district soon." Evan said.
" Agreed." Dante said.
" Commander Perez?" Winter asked.
" Hello, Miss Schnee, whatever you have to say is gonna have to be put on hold." Dante said.
" Okay." Winter said.
They raced to the area of the wreck, witnessing hundreds of Laz wandering all over the street, standing between them and the wreck. An overturned Military truck was seen in the street and the remains of a soldier was seen to have been cradling something...
" What's that?" Ruby asked, pointing the metal object in the dead soldier's arms.
" A transmitter, for a heavy assault strike package." Dante said with excitement.
" We can use that to take out the Argon Sky." Winter said.
" Alright, clear a path so we can get that transmitter." Dante ordered everyone.
They all fought their way through the street, each killing Laz that got in the way of them reaching their goal: the military transmitter. But the Laz were proving too great, as more and more kept flooding the streets even after they acquired the transmitter. Evan took refuge in the overturned truck to program it, leaving the others to contend with the attacking Laz, but there were too many coming towards them...
" EVAN, WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING IN THERE, PLEASE HURRY UP!" Donnic screamed.
" We're completely surrounded!" Ruby screamed.
A Laz nearly took hold of Ruby, but a gunshot rang out and blew the Laz's head away, as a group of gang members emerged from the alley behind Ruby guns blazing. Donnic ended up being saved by a group of homeless vagrants wielding melee weapons and guns, led by a homeless man carrying a shotgun...
" Thanks for the save man." Donnic said.
" Anytime, names Harlan, by the way." The man said.
" I'm Donnic." He responded.
" What the hell are these things, some Aletian weapon?" Harlan asked.
" No, it isn't, these things are the Inquisition's failed attempts at what Inquisitor is doing." Donnic explained.
" It's the Inquisition's fault?" Tyreese, the Bear-Faunus gang leader said.
" Yeah, they tried to make Human-Grimm hybrids just like the guy they worship is doing." Andrea said.
" Inquisitor is making human-Grimm hybrids?" Harlan said in a shocked tone.
" Yeah, but what's happening here is the mistake of his cult following." Donnic said.
" That's why if we want to kill the source of these things, we've got to blow that ship." Dante explained.
" With what?" One of Tyreese's gang members asked.
" With this, it's programmed to direct a heavy assault payload that can blow anything that it's marking away." Evan explained as he exited the truck, holding the transmitter.
" So if you can get to the ship, you can wipe these things out." Harlan figured.
" Precisely, but I'm a little unsure that the military is aware we are going to set this thing up." Evan figured.
" Oh, they'll be aware." Tyreese said.
" You sure of that?" Donnic asked.
" My brother is in the army, I'll let him know that you'll need a heavy assault payload on that ship." Tyreese said.
" Me and the folks can try to distract these things and save anyone who couldn't get out on time." Harlan said.
" My guys can back you up." Tyreese said with Harlan agreeing.
" So we have a plan, good." Dante said.
Everyone went to work, Harlan's people and Tyreese's gang evacuated a group of kids who were trapped on a bus and pushed hordes of Laz with police fire support. Donnic and his team joined up with Dante's team and they proceeded to set up the transmitter and escaped on Dante's airship and they watched as a Heavy Missile obliterated the Argon Sky...
" After this mess, The Inquisition is finished." Evan said.
" You can tell the First Brother that when we find him." Dante said.
This concludes Part 2, in which Meridian has been defended by the unified efforts of Team D.E.A.D, a group of armed vagrants, Commander Dante Perez's group, and a close-knit group of gang members, who defended their territory from the invading Laz. In the aftermath of the incident, the Government of Vacuo has declared war on the Inquisition, so the next chapter will be centered on the army of Vacuo and Team D.E.A.D leading a full-scale assault on the last bastion of The Inquisition. But as the battle winds down, Team D.E.A.D comes face to face with their true enemy...
WAIT AND SEE.