Isaac shot awake, pain coursing throughout his entire body. His mouth was dry, unable to swallow properly. Isaac went to tug onto his collar, instead grasping onto an actual collar. The bulky accessory had a red light shining, right next to a small speaker. Isaac attempted to break the collar off of his neck before a rapid beeping from the speaker told him to refrain from doing so.
"Alright, don't do that." Isaac told himself, getting up on his own two feet. Isaac looked down, seeing that he was wearing a different outfit, a sun-bleached blue jumpsuit. Isaac looked over his shoulder, seeing a large red 'X' on his back. Isaac soon studied his surroundings, seeing that he was in an abandoned alleyway, an old cobblestone path leading towards an open area. Isaac hesitantly walked towards the open area, before seeing the area was a town square of sorts, a large fountain in the middle of it.
"Where am I?" Isaac wondered, before looking up towards the sky. The sky was shrouded in a blood-red cloud, no stars or moon able to shine light through the cover. Isaac felt the air around him as being dense, almost toxic to him. But before he could see study his surroundings further, a holographic projection erupted from the top of the fountain, showing the face of someone. She appeared to be human, black hair upon her scalp, wearing a strange golden crown atop her head, which also ran down the sides of her face. She looked almost wicked, a cruel smile upon her lips.
"Well, well, well. Looks like you are finally awake. The other three have already been here for a few days, though." She said, almost as mocking him.
"Who are you?" Isaac asked, never before seeing her.
"Right now, my name is unimportant. But what is important, is for you to locate the others in this dead city to finally get things underway. And I have been waiting patiently enough." She responded.
"What are you talking about? I want answers! And I'm not very keen on being taken from my home!" Isaac replied, showing his anger. Isaac's captor smirked at this, almost relishing in his reaction to his current predicament.
"Relax! If I wanted to kill, I would have done it already. You see that collar on your neck. It isn't just for style. The moment I feel as if you're being uncooperative or just wasting my time, one small little button will allow me to 'correct' my problem." She responded. Isaac gulped, lightly rubbing the collar, now knowing exactly why it beeped when he tried to remove it.
"I've got enough plastic explosive crammed into it to vaporize the entire upper half of your body, Mobian. But as long as you don't disobey me, you won't have to see your life flash before your eyes. Now, as I was saying, locate the others for me in the dead city and bring them back to the fountain." She said, before the hologram receded into the projector in the fountain.
"Looking for three people… in an entire city… under a blood-red cloud. Why does this seem so familiar?" Isaac asked himself, before walking towards the door to the next section of city. Isaac went through the door, seeing more narrow streets and collapsing buildings. This city was built with red clay tiles and stucco walls, signifying this city was built somewhere in a desert. Isaac couldn't feel the climate, almost as if the city were shielded by the blood-red cloud. As Isaac walked through the city, new thoughts began running through his head.
"If was taken from the castle, could the others have been taken as well? Are Sally and Lily, okay? Could they be in this strange place?" Isaac asked aloud, not really expecting an immediate answer. Soon, Isaac turned a corner, before seeing a strange figure. Isaac quickly retreated back behind the corner, his heart suddenly racing.
Isaac peaked back over towards the figure, seeing the figure was very much humanoid. It was wearing a bulky suit, a strange breathing apparatus fused to its face, a green light emitting from the eyes, exhaling a plume of green mist from the filter. The figure staggered towards the stairs towards the upper level of the city, walking as if it were severely crippled. Isaac gulped, keeping his back against the corner as the strange figure's rasped breathing began to grow distant. As Isaac was calming himself down, he saw a small flashing, a repeated glare from a large hole in an upper story building. A cloaked figure was alerting Isaac, using a small handheld mirror to silently alert him. Peeking around the corner to ensure no one else was there, Isaac made his way to the building, carefully climbing the stairs to meet this figure.
Isaac soon opened the door, seeing the figure was still looking out towards the city, surveying it with a pair of binoculars. Isaac cleared his throat, letting the figure know he was here. Without looking back, the figure waved their hand above them, letting them know that they knew Isaac was present. Isaac walked towards the figure, kneeling down beside them.
"Good thing you were smart enough to avoid the ghost people here on first contact. I've already seen at least a dozen people get dragged off into the cloud before I met you. These things here… they're not normal." The figure said, taking off their hood, revealing themself to be a female Mobian lion.
"Is that what you call them? 'Ghost people'?" Isaac asked. The lioness nodded, before putting the binoculars back to her eyes. Isaac studied her a bit more, before seeing the explosive collar on her neck.
"You and I… we're connected in more ways than one. And our collars are proof of that." The lioness said.
"I've been tasked with locating three people with collars. We need to meet back at the fountain." Isaac explained.
"You don't know why yet, do you?" She asked. Isaac shook his head. The lioness chuckled before letting her binoculars swing around her neck.
"You will. Best bet to where the others are would have to be the cantina in the west side of the city. Only place that has booze. I'll make my way back to the fountain. But if you take too long, well… you'll know where to find me." She said, before putting her hood back up, walking to the staircase of the building.
"Do you know anything else about these 'ghost people'? Can I fight them?" Isaac asked.
"There's no use in fighting them. Even if you manage to take a few of them down, there's too many that would take their place than to concern yourself with. It's better to just hide out and sneak around them. That way, you won't waste your energy and resources to attempt to thin out their numbers." She explained, before walking downstairs.
Isaac looked back down into the streets, seeing the lioness swiftly make her way down towards the square, deftly avoiding the ghost people rampant in the streets. Isaac looked towards the west of the city, seeing an old neon sign advertising a bar. Isaac could see another roof near him, a stretch of rooftops following towards the west end of the city. Taking a few steps back, Isaac ran towards the hole in the wall, leaping across the street, landing and breaking a few tiles, which slid off the roof and shattered upon hitting the street.
Isaac peeked over the roof, seeing two ghost people investigation the shattered tiles, before slowly adjusting their gaze up to the roof Isaac was on. Isaac quickly hid himself from their gaze, beginning to make his way to the neon sign in the dead city. As he ran towards the sign, Isaac saw a low cloud of whatever blocked out the moonlight in his path. Isaac braced himself as he began to run through it, not knowing what kind of effect it would have on him.
"Aach! This stuff is burning my lungs! Copper and sulfur! I need to get through it faster!" Isaac grunted to himself, picking up his pace! He soon broke through the haze, his body going into spasms, a torrential coughing fit following soon after! Isaac could practically feel his lungs blister, finding it hard to draw air! After a few minutes of coughing, Isaac began to feel better, getting up on his feet.
"Whatever the hell that was, I need to avoid it at all costs!" Isaac thought to himself, looking towards the old neon sign.
10 minutes later:
Isaac was slowly climbing down from the roof using the rain gutter, still recovering from the attack on his respiratory system. He had never before experienced a pain like that before! It was almost as if his lungs were being dissolved from inside of himself. And Isaac knew that just from a few seconds in that cloud, he could've asphyxiated, and would've died a horrible, horrible death!
"How could such a cloud exist like this?! It cannot be natural! Maybe a biological weapon of some sort. But it seems these ghost people aren't affected by it if they drag people into it." Isaac wondered, still shaken by the experience.
Isaac soon made it to the ground, looking around to ensure the coast was clear. He quickly made it to the door, finding it to be unlocked. Isaac quietly opened it, walking in and closing it behind himself. The bar looked to be like an old-fashioned cantina, a large oval bar in the middle of it. A human was inside of the bar, looking over the selection of liquor. He soon grabbed a bottle of gin, pouring a few ounces into a glass full of ice. Another person, an Overlander, was sitting across from where the human was standing, looking to be hungover. They were both outfitted with explosive collars.
"Come on, Jack! I feel like hickory smoked shit over here! This is the only thing that helps me with the cloud out there." The Overlander said, rubbing his temple.
"Just a little patience, King. A good gin and tonic require good measurements. Too much of either offset the flavor." Jack responded, before filling the glass the rest of the way with tonic. After a quick stir, he put it in front of King, who quickly took it. After a few gulps, he set it down, looking happier.
"Thank God! And I will admit, no one in Westopolis can make a drink like you." King complimented.
"More than happy to be of service. Thank God those strange people out there don't know how to use doors." Jack replied. Isaac walked from the entrance, before he bumped into a table. The two others quickly grabbed revolvers from their hips and pointed it towards Isaac, causing Isaac to raise his hands in the air.
"Wait! I'm not armed! I was just looking for others!" Isaac responded. Hesitantly, after looking Isaac over, they put their guns down. Isaac walked himself over to the bar, sitting down a chair away from the Overlander.
"You're far away from home, Mobian. But then… we all are, aren't we?" King said.
"I'd try to find my way back home if it wouldn't set off the collars. There was this girl about two days ago. The moment she woke up, she began running for the gate right behind her. The moment she grabbed the bars of the gate, her head was practically vaporized!" Jack explained.
Isaac grimaced at this, not wanting to see anyone have their heads explode. The Overlander was studying Isaac, almost as if he recognized him.
"I've seen you before somewhere. But where, I cannot really say. Certainly not in Westopolis." King observed.
"Never been there before. I live on the Westside Island. I just hope to get back to my family." Isaac said. The Overlander nodded in agreement, before gulping down the rest of his drink.
"The strange woman… the one at the fountain. She told me I had to find you two. But for what, I have no idea." Isaac said.
"Dammit! That Iron Bitch won't let it rest! Alright, Jack. Grab a beer or two for the road. We need to hurry before those bells start ringing." King said.
"Right behind you!" Jack said, grabbing a beer from under the counter before following King, the both of them exiting the cantina. Isaac followed closely, seeing that the two were experienced with the narrow roads of the city, taking peaks around the corners before continuing onward, keeping a lookout for ghost people. Soon, the three got to the square, the lioness waiting, sharpening her claws on an old whetstone.
"Kiara, think fast!" Jack yelled out, throwing the bottle of beer towards her. She quickly grabbed it, popping the cap off with her thumb before bringing it to her lips. Suddenly, the hologram of the strange woman appeared above the fountain, surveying the four.
"Well, at least you all get along better than the last group. This might just have a chance to succeed. Now, as long as none of you try to escape the city before we are done, we can finally get started!" She spoke.
The four stood where they were, waiting for their instruction. Some part of Isaac knew her from somewhere, but to where and when, he hadn't the foggiest recollection. A chest rose from in front of the fountain, bearing G.U.N. on the side of it. It opened automatically, everyone except Isaac walking to the chest. They reached into it, pulling out high-tech weapons from the chest. Kiara pulled out a strange rifle, the end of the barrel outfitted with a strange glass lens. King pulled out a pair of electroshock knuckles, fitting them to his enormous hands. Jack holstered a .357 Colt police pistol, appearing to have had experience with this type of gun.
"Isaac Abaddon, take your weapon. It was specially designed for your skillset." The holographic woman said. Isaac hesitantly peered into the chest, seeing the remaining weapon. It was a strange blade, one of which Isaac had never seen the composite material for it before. It had the profile of a machete, but the blade itself was corroded. Almost like rust, but the faint smell Isaac could pick up from it was identical to the smell of the cloud he had run through earlier. It wasn't rust, but instead, the cloud somehow corroded the strange blade, leaving it stained red.
"Now, for those who have been here for a few days, you already know what to do. But for our newcomer, listen closely! You have all been selected, due to your skills and feats, to break into the abandoned resort in this abandoned city. A heist if you will. But this heist isn't a simple bank job. This heist will push your skills and bodies to the very limit!" The woman explained.
"You're kidding, right? You kidnapped all of us for a robbery?" Isaac asked, feeling this was ridiculous.
"Not a robbery! This heist is a reclamation of untold secrets! Knowledge that could make or break entire civilizations! This heist, if it succeeds, will determine the next chapter of Mobius' history! And even if any of you feel this to be 'ludicrous', you have no say in the matter. As long as those collars are on your neck, you will do everything I say, and you will do it to the best of your abilities!" She answered.
"Yeah, keep talking, fucking bitch. Just wait until I get out of this collar." King muttered, clenching his fists. Suddenly, his collar lit up! But instead of the collar detonating, it delivered a sever shock, rendering King onto his knees!
"As long as you have those collars, I will hear everything you say. And I am not partial to insults." The woman warned.
The others were suddenly at attention, knowing they had to listen, if they wanted to leave this city of dead alive. The woman regained her composure, straightening out her hair.
"As I have said before, this heist will determine the next chapter of Mobius' history! Each and every one of you will be authors of this next chapter in history! And for those who don't appreciate the opportunity, know that you have no choice in the matter." She explained.
"Who exactly are you?" Isaac asked. The woman smiled, taking joy in being asked such a question.
"I… am Regina Ferrum! True ruler of the Iron Dominion!" She exclaimed, introducing herself. The others groaned, having heard her boast about herself before.
"Now… let the heist begin! Isaac, your role in this… is to provide protection for each one as they move to their positions. Your record for being a personal protector has been viewed as flawless. Defending Princess Sally from an entire organization hellbent on killing you is particularly impressive. Of course, your observed powers of transformation will not be possible, for as long as you have the collar on, it will be impossible to do so without triggering the detonation sequence." Regina explained.
"Wait, that huge fight in Station Square, that was you?!" King asked, surprised. Isaac hesitantly confirmed it, not wanting to dwell on his time in Central City.
"It's not something I like to dwell on. I'd rather just move on from that." Isaac responded.