/ Duel Universe
/ Author: The Cowboy of Oklahoma
/ Ch 3: Northface Base pt2: The Baddeck
/ word count: 2338
/ (Author's note: Card use is scripted however summoning requirements and card effect rules are still applied.)
Northface Base:
Getting to the surface again, the ground shook violently and I was tossed to the ground. Looking in the direction of the bases borders, the goo was still slowly approaching our location. I saw a Jeep close by and used it to speed towards the main building the general was reportedly to be at. I looked towards the Harbinger and saw 627 raising her arms in a questioning motion through the cockpit windows as to just what the hell I was doing. I accelerated and would be at the building in 30 seconds. Throwing the Jeep into park, and jumping from the vehicle, I slammed into the front doors in a dead run. I raced down the hall until I reached the commander's office, the door was wide open and it was empty, great.
"GENERAL!!"
I raced down the halls and looked in every room that was open and unlocked, he never replied. Time was running out and I was about to turn a corner when I heard something behind me.
"LIEUTENANT COMMANDER FREEMAN! We have ta' go, now!"
I turned and saw 627 running after me.
"What are you doing here!?" I asked furiously.
"There's no time! The goo is only a hundred yards from the buildin', we can't wait any longer!" She said.
"But the general?"
"It's too late. We can't look for him anymore! Now let's go!" As she grabbed my arm and literally dragged me towards the entrance.
I caved and followed her, shrugging her off my arm. We ran and left the building in a rush, and nearly ran straight into a mass of goo that was covering the Jeep.
"What the…!? It shouldn't be here already!" She exclaimed.
"Well we aren't heading out this way! Let's find a side door or the roof!" I said.
Turning and running back inside, we looked for the other doors to the buildings exterior. Making a corner just ahead of the goo, which was somehow right on our heels and it almost seemed to be picking up speed.
"What the hell!? How's it getting faster!?" I queried as I had to jump a couple feet forward to stay ahead of the goo.
"Right turn!" She shouted pointing to a door.
We ran with all we had and literally leapt at the doors, bursting through. Clearing the threshold just as a lob of goo dropped from the roof to the ground.
"Move. Move. Move!" I urged.
We ran down the sidewalk away from the buildings already covered and out towards the awaiting Harbinger. I waved to the copilot to begin moving the craft to get it further from the goo. We made it to the tail end of the transport and ran alongside it, as I took a sidelong glance at the building housing the Baddeck. It was still shut up and I didn't see the vessel in the air yet.
"Where's the Baddeck? Isn't she airborne yet?" I yelled over the sound of the engine.
"I don't know! I was lookin' for ye'!" 627 yelled back.
"Get inside and get this rig in the air!" I said then she glanced over her shoulder at me. "That's an order Lieutenant! I'm going for the Baddeck! We need that ship in the air or we will lose precious resources! Now go!" I ordered.
Baddeck:
I turned and headed for the building that was just another 100yds from the transport as it moved by. I burst through the doors and ran down the stairs heading for the Baddeck directly. Breathing heavily when I got down there, I saw the side bay was still open and there was no sign of the crewman. I grabbed a mic and threw switches to the upper control deck. Static was my reply, I then ran into the Baddeck open bay and hit the close apparatus. Going through a few hatches and making my way to the bridge to see what the hold up was. Reaching the final hatch, and it was shut, locked from the other side.
I reached for a mic and called out to the bridge. "Con? Con!? Is anyone in there!?" I called.
"Ka'an? What are you doing here!?" The generals voice questioned over the speaker.
"General? Why isn't the hanger open and the Baddeck in the air!?" I asked.
"The Baddeck isn't taking off." He stated.
"What!? But we need this ship in the air now! The fleet won't be complete without it!" I explained.
"It doesn't matter. This ship isn't leaving this base, and neither am I."
The com went dead, and I called the bridge again and again with no response.
"Shit!" I exclaimed.
I ran for another hatch, I needed to find a way to get this vessel into the air before the goo…, the vessel shifted underfoot and I was thrown into the bulkhead. I nearly lost consciousness, my head ringing, the side hurt like a son of a bitch. Then I remembered something, the top hatch, if it is still open, I might be able to…, letting the thought drift a moment. What to do about the general if I make it inside, if he's not willing to listen, or relinquish control, I'll have to.., leaving that thought unfinished. I didn't want to think about it. Reaching the top of the ship, I looked for the wayward hatch that was left opened earlier. Noticing it, I got on top of the ship and began running to the hatch. Then between myself and it a piece of the buildings ceiling fell onto the Baddecks top deck. Looking up, I saw cracks beginning to form in the ceiling and then I noticed the windows against the upper walls, all of them were black.
"Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it." I told myself.
I got to the hatch and leapt inside, sliding down the rungs as quickly as possible. The general was sitting with his back to the middle of the room. He appeared to not hear me enter the bridge, the debris falling onto the top might have covered my decent.
"General!" I shouted.
He sighed. "So you aren't going to leave it be, are you son?"
"I can't just leave anymore. The goo has already surrounded the building outside, and this ship's too valuable to just let it die unused!" I countered.
Looking around, I noticed that the Bridge was completely empty except for the two of us.
"Where is the rest of the crew? Where are your men!?" I growled.
"They did their jobs well, but they do not need to see this. To see their General fail them. Fail them for such foolish reasons and sentiment of an old man." He deflated.
"I won't let this ship die here General, and I won't let you stop me! I don't know why you suddenly have just tossed away your career, but this will not stand!" I cemented my resolve. "Now either get outta my way or I'll be forced to remove you from your command!"
"You won't have to worry about me." He said calmly, then raised his hand with a pistol in it to his own head.
"NO!" I was..too late.
He slumped in his chair and the gun clattered to the floor. Gritting my teeth, I held back a scream of frustration, then I noticed a screen blinking. I moved forward, pulling my jacket off and placing over the generals head. I turned and touched the screen, and some outdoor cams fed back static snow filled screens. So I rotated through the system and watched for any potential functional feeds. Then one finally cleared enough to see that the entire base was covered and the goo was headed south fast, then the camera feed went dead.
"Urgh, where's the engine indicator?
I looked away from the screens and began furiously reading switch commands. "There!" As I hit a switch to bring the engines online.
The rumble of the ship began to come to life, and the ship lifted a few feet from its moorings.
"Oh crap the clamps are still attached!" I said as I looked for the release switch.
Finding and hitting it, the ship lightly jerked as the ship rose more. Now for the hanger doo…, oh. I can't open it, or the goo will fall onto the ship and then the ship cannot be taken anywhere else. Duel energy! I need to generate enough to blast the roof off this place in one go, otherwise it's game over. A screech was heard just before I moved to head back to the top deck. I turned and looked towards the radio as a single light flickered on and off. I picked it up, and it cracked with static when I brought it to my ear.
"Lieutenant Commander!? Ka'an!? Can ye' hear me!?" That southern bells voice was near heaven sent.
"Lieutenant? Are you receiving me?" I asked.
"Sir! What's goin' on down there!? Where's the general!? Is the Baddeck…!?"
"Listen up!" I interrupted. "I'm bringing the Baddeck up right now, but we need to clear the goo off the roof and from an area big enough to allow the ship to lift off, free and clear. So I need you to fly the Harbinger in a wide arc and blast this area with as much duel energy as you can muster, then I'll handle the rest!"
"But sir, this deck is…"
"Now!" I ordered.
I tossed the headset aside and ran for the ladder to get to the top deck. I activate my equipment and set the deck in place. A lite blue holo field zone for the cards to be placed apon appears in front of me.
"Alright, I draw!"
Harbinger:
"Crap! That idiot's goin' to get himself killed before he can even leave me behind!" 627 remarked.
"Wait? What?" The co-pilot questioned.
"Nothin'. Take control, and put this craft on an oval over the base! I'm gonna rain some pain on this stuff!" She ordered.
"Aye ma'am!" As he gripped the stick and began to turn into the maneuver.
627 unbuckled and shot out of her chair, jumping down the steps from the cockpit. She turned and opened the side door facing the goo below. She set the premade deck into her equipment and activating the device. A lite orange holo field generated for her, at least she could use her own personal duel disk and not one of the preset standard grey and white of normal recruits.
"This deck better have somethin' I can use! I draw." Looking over the cards in her hand, she grimaced. "Oh great, there's only one card. It better do somethin' otherwise the Lieutenant Commander is a dead man!"
She turned to the open side door and slammed the card down onto the holo field.
"I summon Gyaku-Gire Panda in attack mode!" The disk glowed and then a beam shot out and a panda image appeared doing karate kicks and flips before nose diving towards the goo below. She saw something happening, it began to change in size, growing larger. The attack indicator on her device began changing rapidly.
'800, 2300, 3800, 5300, 7800, 9300'
"It's, it's not possible! How can that pipsqueak get so big!?" Looking at her device.
'10300, 12800, 14300, 15300, 20800'
"What!? I.., but there's.., oh ferget it. Gyaku-Gire Panda attack!" She shouted.
The Panda spun in place and then drop kicked straight down on top of the goo on the roof of the hanger. Just as the kick slammed down on the roof, the goo was thrown back and cleared nearly all the roof, then light shown from below, cracks began shining through the roofs surface.
A little earlier, "now to bust out of here!" I summon Goblindbergh in attack mode!"
An old WWI prop plane swoops down from a virtual sky.
"Now it's ability grants me one level four or lower monster from my hand, now I summon Vylon Prism in attack mode!"
A small squadron of prop planes carried in a big blue crate beneath them. A crystalline robot appeared from inside the box.
"And since I have normal summoned a monster, I can special summon my Kagetokage from my hand!"
A shadowy lizard creature slithered from the shadow beneath the Goblindbergh.
"Now to enter my battle phase! Then I can activate Arrivalrivals, now I can normal summon immediately! I tribute all three of my monsters to summon my, Beast King Barbados, arise!"
The three monsters on my field shimmered and then disappeared into a combined swirl of energy from below, then an explosion of light and power into the air as a large red spear and massive lion rose up.
"Since Vylon went to the GY, I can pay 500LP and equip it to Barbaros for another 1000atk, but a few more attack points can't hurt. I can special summon my Juragedo during the battle phase in attack mode!"
A strange reptilian like creature warped into existence.
"Then I'll use it's abilities to grant myself an extra 1000LP and also tribute it to give Barbaros an additional 1000atk!"
Barbaros grew to nearly double in size, and brought his weapon to bare.
"Now Barbaros can blast the roof right off this place! Barbaros attack! Tornado Bringer!"
Outside, all 627 saw was a bright flash just as her Panda struck the roof. The goo gave an obvious caving in look, and spreading away from the point of impact. Then the roof began to bulge outwards, cracks of light and power coming from below. The goo was suddenly thrown in all directions, her panda evaporating away from the sheer power output.
"What in the name of…!?"
(Author's note: For anyone unfamiliar with Gyaku-Gire Panda, it gains 500 attack for each monster your opponent controls. The goo, as it appears and moves like a single entity, it is in fact millions of different things all working as one. That is why its power grew and didn't seem to stop.)