Unfortunately, one update today. Enjoy!
"I'll need to remove the power core slowly, or the fail-safe will trigger." Arnold thought to himself. "Too fast, the fail-safe triggers. Too slow, and I die." He pressed the button on the Hybrid to bring out the power core container.
Slowly, he started sliding it out and coughing from the toxin.
"This is it, pal! Can you feel the rush of the delicious toxin burning through your veins, creeping into that demented brain of yours? I sure can…" A voice in his head started. A visual of his voice stood beside him, leaning against the Hybrid. "I'm getting stronger with every breath you take." His visual grinned. It was essentially him, only dark-haired like Spinelli and Rhonda, and his eyes were red with red smoke lightly coming from his eyes.
The power core was out and revealed a red, burnt-out cell. Shadow took it out and threw it. He grabbed the nimbus cell and inserted it. He kept coughing more and more.
"Stay calm, take nice and slow deep breaths. DEEP breaths." His visual grinned. Shadow slowly slid in the new power cell.
"All this effort must be making you sleepy… You gettin' sleepy?" His visual yawned. "Rock-a-bye, Arnold, I'm getting free! Soon, you'll be the one trapped inside." His voice cackled.
The new power cell was installed into the Hybrid, reviving it essentially. Arnold climbed up onto the vehicle and weakly crawled into the cockpit, coughing. He dropped inside into the cockpit as it slid shut, separating him from the gas. He was feeling woozy.
"Shadow? Shadow, are you still there?!" It was Sapphire trying to radio him. "…Gi- Give me a moment, Star… I'll be fine." He replied. He then flinched as his visual pressed his hands against the window.
"You're not looking too good, boy! It won't be long until I'm behind the wheel! Just think of the fun we'll have by then! Brains! Brawn! Brutality! The full package! We'll have Hillwood at our mercy, including your loved ones like your wife! And you want to know what the best part of this is? You'll be with me EVERY step of the way! Watching it all from the passenger seat. I don't know about you, pal, but I can HARDLY wait!" Shadow stomped his foot on the throttle as the Hybrid took off.
"Son?! Son, are you there?!" Stella radioed. "I'm fine, mom." He stopped the Hybrid as the entire city was covered with the toxin cloud, people killing each other and screaming, biting off their arms, noses, hands, fingers, skin, whatever they got their mouths and/or hands on. The sights were horrific. He gulped.
"Arnold, listen, the toxin is too strong and it's interfering with the radars! I have a plan but, I don't think it'll be enough at all until Phoebe preps the QR Jet and Hyperjet! She's working as fast as she can!" Stella said. "Looks like I'm as blind as a sports ref out here."
"Before the Hyperjet got back here, it picked many drones in group formation across the city. Unfortunately, we don't know where they could be stationed at, and it's up to you to find 'em and destroy them." Stella told him. "Got it." The Hybrid's engine roared and raced off.
Rhonda approached her mother, she was about to ask how she was feeling, but Brooke already sensed it. "Honey, don't even dare asking if I'm okay. I'm not okay! As long as Arnold isn't back home, I'm not feeling ok!"
"Mom, I don't know how to say this but… This may take a few hours or so before we can get anything done…" Brooke shook her head. "Then come back in a few hours and ask me by then!" She snapped. "Gee, I didn't know you felt that attached to him…"
"Hey, let's just try and keep our cool, no need to fight each other when the real competition is out there, alright?" Travis started as he came over with Warren. "Just slow deep breaths, Mrs. Lloyd. Just keep calm. Arnold can handle himself."
"You good?" Warren asked Brooke's daughter. Rhonda nodded a little as she walked away. "I guess you and Arnold have that close mother-son bond?" Travis asked. "Like you wouldn't imagine." Brooke sighed.
"Actually, I can probably. I had that kind of relationship with my mom before she died. Ever since I came out as gay, I never had support from my father, but my mom was always supporting me even through the worst, and that's something I always appreciate from her. Heck, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her."
"Wow… I- I'm sorry to hear about your mother, Montgomery. But she sounds like a great mother." He nodded.
"Rattler down!" The Militia Commander exclaimed.
Shadow found one group of tanks surrounding a building, a possible distraction from them.
"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" The Commander asked angrily.
The Hybrid then locked on multiple drones, locking on for a missile barrage.
KA-POW
CRASH
BOOM
KA-BOOM
CRASH
POW
CRASH
KA-BOOM
KA-POW
"MULTIPLE UNITS OFFLINE!" The Commander warned. Haidra growled in anger.
"Ma'am, I lost all drone units in Chinatown!" The Commander told Haidra. "You fool…" Haidra facepalmed.
"I'll end you next time!" The Commander threatened. But it was pointless as the Militia tanks ended up as scrap anyhow.
"I need a little more time! I can get this done, we'll beat the cloudburst!" Phoebe exclaimed while she built a device to install on the jets.
"Impulse, status on the Hybrid?" Spinelli asked. "Mistress, I'm sorry, but with the density of the cloudburst, I can't pick up a signal." Impulse replied.
Phoebe looked over for a moment. "Send in the QR Jet. But I want it back here soon so I can install these devices!" She said. Nadine came over. "And what exactly are you making here?"
"With the blueprints I stole off the Militia network on the Cloudburst tank, Impulse and I managed to find a reversal in case they wanted to bring back that cloudburst." Phoebe replied while she got a wrench.
"I'm kind of not following…" Nadine replied. "Come on, it's simple as 1-2-3! This device will help reverse the effects of the toxin and kill the effects of the gas, and the device over there for the Hyperjet…" She paused for a moment, screwing in a bolt. "… That device reverses the effects of the toxin and will be sucked into that. This gas may be spread all over the city, but the Hyperjet should be able to reverse all of the toxins if I can just calculate it all correctly."
Nadine nodded, understanding now. "Ah… I see now." The QR Jet soon fired up and took off.
"Impulse, give me access to the container yard!" Shadow told Impulse. "Sir, I must warn you, the close-range scanners on the Hybrid picked up a considerable number of Militia tanks inside." Impulse informed.
"Those tanks are standing between me and Haidra, and until then, I need to buy some time for Phoebe, and before I take on the Cloudburst tank." He replied.
On the outside of the Hybrid, monstrosity, and chaos occurred. People biting off, tearing off, and simply killing one another, at each other's throats in horror, all of them seeing the same amount of horror or even traumatizing horror of their pasts. Whatever horror they say, would also be gruesome. Blood was spewed on the streets all over the city. Hundreds and possibly thousands of people were dead, many of them still beating each other to death, tackling one another, and just screaming brainlessly. The effects of the Cloudburst toxin were severe.
The container yard doors were open. The Hybrid rolled in as the QR Jet flew overhead.
"Sir, they locked me out, it's a trap."
"Hybrid spotted! Container yard!" The Militia commander exclaimed. "Crush him! DESTROY HIM!" Haidra angrily yelled.
The Hybrid went into Battle Mode once again as it encountered more Militia drone tanks.
CRASH
"Diamondback offline!"
The container yard was a small area for the Hybrid, but Shadow managed to fight his way around and avoid the oncoming tank bullets.
KA-POW
CRASH
"Rattler down!" The Commander exclaimed. "You're losing, Sergeant!" Haidra exclaimed.
The Diamondback tanks were the heaviest armored drones with three cannons with a minigun attachment. The Rattler drone was the least armored and the least strongest. The Twin Rattler was an upgrade of the Rattler, with two cannons and more armor defenses. The Mamba drones were tanks that launched missiles at its target and were heavily armored as well.
CRASH
KA-BOOM
KA-POW
BOOM
CRASH
"Multiple drones offline! Initiating drone flank!" The Commander shouted.
The Hybrid launched a level two missile barrage to help itself out of its situation with drones starting to surround it.
KA-BOOM
POW
KA-POW
CRASH
BOOM
KA-POW
CRASH
"Multi drones offline! We're losing power, Boss!" The Commander exclaimed. "FIGHT BACK!" Haidra yelled.
A small drone helicopter flew over and started locking onto the Hybrid. The Hybrid used the Vulcan gun (AKA minigun) to take out the small helicopter drone.
CRASH
KA-POW
"Dragon offline!" The Hybrid took out the exterior defenses. "He's breached the outer defenses, and I lost him!"
"Find him, Sergeant!" Haidra angrily replied.
The Hybrid went back to pursuit mode as it soon started driving around, looking around.
"Sir, scans from the QR Jet are picking up more drones on the inside of the container yard, you'll have to find a way in and then breach out of there." Impulse told Shadow. "Have you looked around the city?"
"I did, Sir. I managed to find a lot more tanks at a church." Impulse replied. "Got it. I'll be heading over there and deplete the Militia forces!"
Back at the HQ, Spinelli overhead what Shadow told Impulse, and all she could feel at the moment was her heart fluttering for Arnold. "What a brave, dreamy, and compassionate man." She had… a goofy look on her face?
"Spinelli, why do you look like a teenage girl looking at her phone that received a heart message from her boyfriend?" Travis came over. Spinelli yelped and recomposed herself. "Why are you even noticing that on me? Don't I have the right to fall in love- UH, I mean, have a crush!" Spinelli had her hands on her hips. Travis raised an eyebrow. "Wait…"
Spinelli noticed what she said. "Uh-oh…" Travis then put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. If you got anything to hide, your secret will be safe with me. I probably don't know who specifically your crush is, but it'll be safe with me."
"Thanks, Trav." She softly replied. Travis smiled, then nodded and walked away. Spinelli turned around back to the main monitors and pulled out a small picture of her and Arnold together with their suits on. She could only smile and give it a small peck. She then put the picture back in her pocket.
"Is it weird I have a photo of me and him together in my pocket right now? I obviously don't carry it around with me everywhere. I'm not a freak either." Spinelli thought. All she felt at the moment was her deep love for Arnold.
"The Hybrids here!" The Commander mentioned. "Surround him! DESTROY HIM!" Haidra yelled.
"Initiating drone flank!" He programmed the tanks to surround him, but the Hybrid got off multiple shots, destroying them.
CRASH
KA-BOOM
POW
BOOM
KA-POW
"Twin Rattler offline!"
"I get to be the one who killed this city! ME! Your time will come….!" Haidra threatened. The Hybrid was nearly done taking out the few tanks left.
"Diamondback hit! It won't take another strike!"
CRASH
BOOM
"Multiple Rattler drones offline!"
KA-POW
BOOM
"Container yard units are gone, ma'am!" The Commander exclaimed. "You're failing me, sergeant! You got one more chance at the church, or I'll be taking matters into my own hands!"
"Yes, Boss."
"Impulse, I'm heading toward the church now!" Shadow started. "Good luck, Sir." Impulse replied. "Ariel, anything on Haidra's identity?" He then asked.
Ariel was searching for Haidra's real identity but was unsuccessful so far. "Arnold, I wish I had better news right now but I have nothing. No inmates match the profile to lead a military team or even less take over the city in this manner. I have a list of possible suspects, but they don't fit the profile either." She replied. "Keep looking." Shadow encouraged as the Hybrid crashed through metal doors and back out onto the streets.