Chapter 10
It was early in the afternoon, dusk shining on the horizon. The county fair was being set up without a hitch. The workers have been up since one in the morning installing the roller coaster and the Farris wheel, pitching the food and drink stalls, and so on. It was exhausting work, but it'll all be worth it. Both the pay and the attendance fee being charged, that is.
A bearded man in a hard hat stood on the sidelines surveying the entire operation with a megaphone. Two workers sat to take a break, one drinking a water bottle before handing it over.
The bearded raised his megaphone, shifting a glower to the workers. "Quit slouching and get back to work! We don't get paid to laze around! You can take a break once we get everything done, got it?!"
The two jolted and left, dropping the water bottle on the ground.
It was good being in charge, he mused. A smug grin formed on his face while letting out a bellowing laugh. The bearded foreman continued scanning the vicinity, ensuring no one was slacking off. A deep and haunting chill ran throughout his spine as if a poltergeist phased his entire being.
"Excuse me. Are you the one in charge of this little set up?"
The foreman jumped and turned around. Standing behind him, a man in a two-piece suit approached a whole entourage following him.
"Y-yeah, that's right," the foreman answered in a meek tone, unbefitting of his posture. "If you folks are the inspectors, then you came a bit too early. We barely have the whole fair up and running, let along installed the kegerators yet. If you guys are customers, then I'll have to have you to leave for the very same reason."
When the bearded man got closer, his imposing height towered over the sharp-dressed man, thinking he could crush this guy like a grape. However, all his bravado immediately disappeared when the stranger stared unimpressed. The group leader held a cold expression as if he was made from a block of ice. The foreman noted that his demeanor was off. With his slick brown hair, shades, and well-tailored attire, the bewildered foreman could swear this stranger came straight out of a spy movie. Not just him but the rest of his men, wearing gray and black military uniforms the perplexed foreman was unfamiliar with. That's when the stranger reached into his jacket and flashed a badge, the foreman lurching back.
"My name is Special Agent Jones. I work for the Department of Homeland Security," Mr. Jones greeted without breaking eye contact. "We have been sent here to prevent a potential domestic terrorist attack."
"Potential domestic terrorist attack?" the foreman repeated confusingly.
Jones nodded. "That's right. We have been receiving reports that terrorists are planning to execute an incursion on your town. As of right now, your whole business is now under our control, making it into our little stakeout for the time being. Is that understandable?"
Before he could speak, the foreman watched, eyeing as the men accompanying Mr. Jones marched straight into the fair, driving the workers out, their uniforms and stations commandeered.
Turning around, the foreman nervously shook his head. "Y-yeah, it is. I'll be sure to get out of your hare, sir."
With his hand folded behind his back, Mr. Jones leaned in, his lips smirking with hidden malicious intent.
"Excellent. And don't worry. This fair is in good hands."
In the present, the trio were in the fight of their lives. Thankfully, The attendees evacuated, leaving Anne, Luz, and Michael to deal with the assholes who ruined their fun time.
Anne and Luz separately darted as Michael sprinted forward to land a haymaker. One of the soldiers barely fired his rifle and panicked, receiving a closed fist smashing into his helmet. The very blow sent the soldier back, and he went tumbling to the ground, his arms and legs flailing while glass shards flew from his face shield. Michael loomed over and saw some blood oozing from the cracks and was a little astonished that the viscus fluid wasn't from his bruised knuckles but came back to his senses as the soldiers opened a barrage.
Fortunately for the young man, it wasn't bullets. Because it was an extraction and not an execution, all the soldiers' guns were loaded with tranquilizer darts. So, it was easy for Michael to dodge and sprint each round, retaliating with a hailstorm of kicks and jabs, though careful not to get hit.
At the same time, Anne charged quickly before slamming a roundhouse kick to one of the soldiers. Her heeled boot was sturdy enough to handle such an impact before sending one of the uniformed men flying into his crew. The soldiers prepared to fire back, and Michael watched with intense eyes, getting ready to come to her rescue.
"Anne! look out!" He called out.
However, his aid wasn't necessary as Anne leaped into the air, somersaulting and landing her whole body onto her opponents, spotting a metal pole on the ground before picking it up and swinging it around. None of the soldiers had a chance to shoot, each receiving a blow to the head and sides from the blunt weapon. The display slightly stunned Michael as the agile Thai woman showed off her gymnastic prowess. She had it all covered.
Be that as it may, the young man didn't hesitate to lend a hand, jumping at the oncoming attackers behind her, his legs sprinting and arms cocking back. Anne got out of the way and let out a frustrated exhale.
"I appreciate the help, but what about Luz?" Anne questioned before swinging her pole again.
Turning around, Michael watched Luz in her stead. The witch-in-training checked her cards, the right one was drawn, and she threw it to the enemies' feet. Bodies converged on her as Michael and Anne charged at her side. Men and women raised cattle prods and restraints to subdue them when a myriad of vines sprung from the ground. Luz snapped her fingers to make the vines grapple their bodies and drag bodies halfway into the dirt, rendering each soldier incapacitated. At the same time, Anne and Michael (quite dumbfounded) quickly charged with determination. Several men flew, crashing into each other as the brawler and the pole fighter rushed through the line, blow after blow to the remainder.
Sweaty and almost exhausted, Michael flashed a hopeful smile. "I can't believe it. We might actually win this."
"That's good because I don't think I can keep this up," remarked Luz as she drew another glyph and summoned a fireball.
"You think you can't keep this up? Doing jumps and kicks in heels isn't really my specialty, but that's beside the point," Anne retorted with a bold edge. "We're not out of the woods yet, and I think we only scratched the surface of the problem, guys."
The next wave approached, and twenty more soldiers marched. Cannon fodder or not, you never send in the rookies to get the job done, they all contemplated. Anne, Luz, and Michael were ready for them, guards raised and into position, as the soldiers blocked off every possible exit. However, these goons would prove to be more of a challenge.
Michael's body moved with angular precision as darts fired and flew. The soldiers could barely keep a steady, the young man shifting and twirling acrobatically. His expression flashed fierce, poised, and filled with stone-cold confidence as sharp projectiles missed him by inches. Anne and Luz watched in awe, the display quite mind-numbing to see him move like a runner reaching for the goal at the NFL, dodging rounds while making a beeline and then stepping up to one of the soldiers as he dropped his gun and preparing to deliver a beating of a lifetime. Suddenly, when Michael cocked his arm and thrust, the soldier intercepted and blocked without flinching. His stomach struck with a gloved hand and caught the bewildered young man off-guard, erratically coughing as it disrupted his equilibrium and made his knees wobble. Michael barely had a chance to recompose as his opponent grabbed him by the arm, spun him around, and tossed him over his shoulder without much effort.
"Michael!" feminine voices shouted in unison.
Anne and Luz's bodies trembled, screaming as Michael flew into the drink stand, shattering it. The two tried rushing over to help, but the soldiers wouldn't let them as cattle prods and restraints were drawn. The girls pushed and jolted, and the soldiers repelled and encroached.
Michael slowly staggered back up, and after the world stopped spinning, he shook himself and dusted off his jacket and jeans. A few cuts and bruises never killed anyone, he scoffed.
Looking around, he exhaled a disappointing sigh, "Oh, man. What a waste of perfectly good moonshine. Those inbred mountain folk at Meat Camp spent months brewing the stuff, and all for nothing," Michael muttered, cracking his neck and shoulders before getting ready to charge back at the enemy, brows furrowing. "Okay, I was mad before, but now I'm really…."
As Michael turned to Anne and Luz, the furrowed brow he held disappeared, and his blood ran cold. Glancing to the side, his hazel eyes widened at seeing several soldiers charging at once to grab the girls and take them down.
Moving quickly, Anne twirled the pole swiftly in her hands, her free hand sticking forward while her legs spread out in a battle stance. Men and women rushed her, darting on all sides, but the prancing muay Thai fighter smirked and swung her pole with swift precision. She aimed and struck at the abdomen, arms, and even the legs, limbs immediately falling limp. The force of the blunt struck through the protective Kevlar, knocking three of the soldiers back saved for one.
From behind, the soldier moved in and bum-rushed Anne when she least expected, knocking her off-balanced and dropping her pole. The force behind his body was so rough the enraged soldier could grab her as her body was lifted and slammed onto the dirt floor in a suplex. Anne's arms and legs were restrained as she lifted herself, and black tentacle-like appendages wrapped around her as other uniformed men approached with strange, box-like apparatuses.
"Let me go, or you're so going to regret it!" Anne screamed as she struggled to break free, to no avail.
"Anne!" Michael shouted as he planted one foot to reach her, but he snapped around when he heard another familiar scream.
Luz kept the other soldiers at bay but had more trouble than her friends. The witch-in-training drew a card, and a wall of ice formed, blocking the darts from hitting her. After summoning a fireball and throwing it, creating a distracting explosion, she drew another card to leap into the air. Gravity became a mere guideline, her body fluttering away. On the other side, hands reached for her, only to grab air as she moved like an acrobat in the storm. She confidently landed near the ticket booth before going for another card, spotting the soldiers getting ready to shoot her. Sadly, Luz could not retaliate as two men, more enormous than the others, jumped from the booths and constrained her, their gloved hands grabbing at her deck.
"Luz! No!"
Michael tried to rush over to his friends, but a few more advancing soldiers took him down with weapons at the ready. He reached out to start tossing them aside when a dart flew and struck his neck. The delirious young man staggered and almost lost his footing. Most of his body was quickly detained and immobile and then electrocuted by the end of a cattle prod. Michael could keep himself conscious long enough as he saw his friends receiving the same treatment, calling for help, but what could he do now?
"Just stay down and submit. There's no point in playing hero, kid," one soldier demanded with pompous flair.
Michael tried to break free, his body still fighting. Two soldiers fired enough darts to subdue a full-grown elephant into his back while another pair struck with a cattle prod, but the young man refused to kneel.
Seeing Michael distressed, Anne and Luz started shifting and kicking out. Their legs were flailing while their arms loosening the restraints, the soldiers grabbing hold tightly. Still, that didn't stop them from trying over and over. Michael tried to put one foot over the other. Seeing his friends suffer was too much to bare. Regardless, the soldiers wouldn't let him, giving him everything they got. Tranquilizers, shocks, and restraints but it barely had any effect on him. On the contrary, it just made his blood boil. The anger welling inside him reached its breaking point, grunting as he finally snapped, his eyes inhumanly bloodshot and his teeth gritting.
"YOU GUYS ARE FUCKING DEAD!"
Anne and Luz's heads turned and froze. The soldiers, too, followed the gut-wrenching scream. All of them looked to see Michael with the piercing glare of a wild animal before he staggered back up, and all hell broke loose.
Anne swallowed the lump in her throat. She and Luz weakly spoke up.
"M-Michael?"
"Dios Mio…"
With the devil's strength, the young man jerked and broke the black restraints, quickly grabbing the tendrils as the soldier holding the apparatus was pulled forward, practically flying off his feet. Cocking his arm, Michael drove his fist into the visor covering his target's face, glass shattering and the soldier lunging back. He wailed as Michael then swung his entire body around and slammed it into the charging soldiers like a wrecking ball during demolition. Each armed man and woman were lying unconscious, bruised, and battered. After sending his "wrecking ball" smacked dap into the ground, the young man dropped the straps, leaping over the unconscious bodies and charging to the rescue.
Two armed men stood in the way, blocking his path and aiming to shoot. When they were about to pull the trigger, Michael dashed forward, reached over, and grabbed the soldiers by the visors. With an otherworldly roar, he smashed the back of their heads into the ground, enough kinetic force to shatter the very earth around them. The remaining troops were baffled by such a display of monstrous brutality, never before seen one man dispatching so many veteran soldiers quickly as Michael pressed onward to his next opponent. Though no strangers to such oddities, Anne and Luz were just as shocked as everyone else. The pair had turned pale, with dread spreading throughout their bodies.
Who was this monster? Where was the calm and friendly Michael they knew (and loved)? The answer never came when one of the soldiers charged at the young man with a cattle prod. The electrical tool immediately thrust directly at his chest with enough voltage to take down a pack of ravenous wolves.
The soldier's attack was deflected when Michael swung his arm against the silver rod, landing a headbutt to his face before pouncing and tackling the startled soldier to the ground. Once on the ground, the young man landed blow after blow, punching the man so hard that blood and teeth splattered. An inhuman cackle escaped Michael's lips, watching the soldier's agony as everyone around them stood in complete horror, mixed expressions on their faces.
Finally, Michael stopped himself. He craned his head and looked around. After seeing the deplorable looks on his friends' faces, something in his heart made the young man come back to his senses. His eyes glared down at his blood-soaked hands and then to the barely conscious body he was sitting on. Michael exhaled a deep breath as he staggered up and wiped his brow, blood smearing unintentionally. The heavy metallic scent entered his nostrils, face contorting. His anger resurfaced, his mouth snarled, and he darted his eyes as he got back into a battle stance, balling his fists while searching for another opponent to fight.
"Who's next?!" He called out, practically roaring.
All the soldiers stepped back, defensively on guard. Some turned and attempted to run away, holding Anne and Luz over their shoulders as the two began wriggling upon realization. Luckily, they didn't go far. The two-armed men made their way out of the fairgrounds when a bolt of green energy struck them in the back, unconscious, dropping Anne and Luz to the ground. Hard. A weak moan escaped the pair's lips before lurching upwards, watching flabbergasted as all the soldiers fled, one by one running away from the same beam, taking cover.
Once he returned to reality, Michael saw several white drones flying overhead. Lasers aimed down, set ultimately to stun. Staring confused, Michael shook his head and darted toward his friends, breaking the pair of their restraints and setting them free. Anne and Luz stared wide-eyed and hesitated to receive the young man's help. It wasn't until noticing the calming blue returning in his eyes that he showed he would never hurt them. The two were helped up and thanked him before turning to the right, and eyes narrowed as a woman's silhouette gingerly approached the three.
"You know, if I thought carnivals and fairs were going to as fun as this, I would have asked you to invite me a long time ago, handsome," a sassy and femininely mature voice spoke up as the shadowy figure moseyed over, revealing a familiar redhead and thick-rimmed glasses into full view.
The young man smiled, rushed over, and brought the woman into a tight squeeze. "Oh, God, Tulip. I don't know how you did all of this, but you have no idea how happy I am for you showing up. Seriously, I don't know how I can repay you for saving us?"
Though blushing, the redhead returned the gesture, giggling. "Hey, it's no big deal. It's just a little Deus Ex Machina that I brought to the table, that's all. Literally," Tulip winked. One of her drones descended to the side as she stepped back a little, flashing a wicked leer. "Though, if you want to make it up to me, we could always go back to my place and…."
Anne strutted over with her arms crossed, cutting off the redhead in mid-sentence. The girl is staring daggers at Michael, then at Tulip, making the duo sweat. Luz was right behind her, hand on her hip and lips pointing.
Michael quickly moved away, he and Tulip nervously turning to Anne and Luz, dread befalling onto his very being. The young man could feel the dark aura oozing from the two irksome women before him.
"Anne. Luz. I know what you're thinking, but it's nothing like that, I swear," Michael panicked, gesturing to Tulip, who stood behind, smiling and giving a friendly wave to Anne and Luz. "You know that friend I was talking about? The one that told me about the storm and that the world might come to an end. Well, this is her, Tulip Olson."
Tulip stepped forward, stuttering and extending her hand. "N-nice to meet you. You two m-must be Anne and Luz. Michael has told me all about you guys. I know this isn't the best time for an introduction, but since I wanted to see others like me and because I had nothing else to do, I…."
"Save it. we'll talk about all of that later. Right now, we got to get the hell out of here before those soldiers come back for round two," Anne cut Tulip off as she held her palm to her face, glaring darkly from her to Michael. "As for you, Michael, we are going to have a serious talk when we get back home, mister."
"Yeah, like how you went all apo and took out those creeps with your bare hands. Among other stuff, that's something we should discuss," Luz added.
Michael gave a thousand-yard stare but shook it off and made the first step to the entrance. "I-I don't know anything about that, but I promise I'll explain everything else. Come on, let's get out of here. I don't know how long Tulip's toys can hold those soldiers off, and we don't want to be here when reinforcements…."
Before he could finish that sentence, shots were fired. Michael gasped and staggered. White noise filled his ear as silence fell over him. The girls' screams, though, were deafened, barely piercing through. His left hand reached for the side of his waist as blood began to trickle. Everyone was in complete shock. Anne quickly reached and tried to catch him when the young man collapsed to his knees. Her alleviated expression turned to a look of horror, and Michael mentally cried out, confused and desperately wanting to ask her what had just happened.
On the back of his waist was a bullet wound, the kind no one survived from as Michael could feel a sharp pain in his kidney, adrenalin fading. Eyes widened, the young man shifted a solemn glare to his friends, trying to speak but only huffs of air escaped his lips. Rushing to his side, Anne, Luz, and Tulip began to weep tears of sorrow, staring at the young man lying pale and limp.
"No. Oh God, please, no," Anne weakly whimpered as she knelt down and held Michael's body, not caring that his blood was staining her new top and skirt.
Anne held Michael close, her cheek against this own. The young man wouldn't wake up no matter how much she tried, shaking him and speaking to him. His heart grew weak and shallow, his breathing the same as Anne listened closely.
Luz joined the two as she choked on her tears, cupping her hands to her mouth while looking down at the unconscious young man.
Looking around, Tulip twirled as she searched for the culprit. Her eyes darted in all directions before noticing the residue of gun smoke lingering in the air. Lifting her head, she followed it and jolted back in fright. At that moment the scar-faced man weakly approached the group, up and about with a vicious grin.
The scarred commander took the opportunity to gaze at his work, strolling over to the girls huddled around Michael, crying-sweet music to his ears. He then turned to the drones that gave his men such a hard time, lifted his 9mm and aimed carefully, and fired every one of them, parts and shrapnel exploding and scattering to the ground as the soldiers were relieved to be out of the crosshairs.
The commander sneered before turning to his men, having his pistol threateningly, "What are you waiting for, you useless cannon fodder? Take the breachers and let's get a move on! the higher-ups will want results on our extraction, and we've wasted enough time in this rathole of a town."
The soldiers complied and prepared for extraction. The armed men and women marched over, grabbed the girls, and dragged them away. Some picked up their fallen comrades as well. Not one of the three put up much of a fight, proving fruitless. As she was being carried off, Anne cried as she kept her eyes on Michael, stretching her hand out while calling his name.
Watching the whole display, the commander took great delight in their suffering. He laughed and strolled over, looking down. Standing in front of Michael's body, the commander gave a swift kick to his sides, adding the young man weakly groaning. That'll teach this punk to mess with me, the scarred man thought to himself, rubbing his stomach.
Taking the opportunity to admire his kill, the commander pondered. The pain in his rib, he could get over it. Wounds like that heal. But what he would never get over was the pain to his ego. How could a kid from a backwatered town creep and take down a veteran agent easily? He will never know, nor did he care. Crouching down and savoring the moment, the commander could tell the son of a bitch will be dead soon, and that's all that matters. That, and the fat bonus he'll receive for his time and effort. All in a day's work, so to speak.
The commander snapped and turned when one of his subordinates came over, ruining his moment.
"What is it?" the commander questioned irritably.
The soldier saluted to his presence, albeit terrified. "S-sir, what do you want us to do with the area? A lot of property damage was done and plenty of the witnesses escaped."
"The same thing we do every extraction!" The commander growled, barking orders as he smacked his subordinate in the back of the head. "We clear out and before the news has a chance at sniffing at a hit, we have our boys prepare a cover story. We'll tell them that a domestic terrorist came in and started shooting up the fairgrounds, had swats come in and shoot to kill. It's very simple."
"Is that really going to work?" the soldier asked.
"Of course. It worked for that job we did in El Paso a while back. And, just like before, we have ourselves a willing patsy to pin this whole ordeal," the commander chuckled, gesturing to Michael's body.
The soldier nodded, and he and the commander headed out without wasting any more time.
With what little energy he had left, Michael watched the two march as he reached his arm out and tried to stop them, his body shuffling. The screams coming from the girls were the one thing keeping him focused. Sadly, his effort was in vain as all the soldiers evacuated the fairgrounds, leaving the young man alone, bleeding to death and surrounded by debris.
"Fuck me," the young man said before he started losing consciousness, his whole world turning black.
A/N: Hey, everyone. This is Kman134, bringing you another chapter of Intruders from the Other Side. Now, this took a while, but I've got it done. It wasn't easy coming up with the choreography and directions, though it never is, isn't it? I wanted this chapter to be longer, but I decided that since it's mostly a large fight scene, it's best to keep it short. I also wanted to figure out how to slip an Invincible reference, mainly the part where Invincible was fighting Machine Head's hired villains. As for the ending, I wanted to make it a cliffhanger to build suspense and troll people. Anyways, I hope you all like it and tell me what you think in the review. Ciao.