To the readers
I appreciate any comments on the story.
Notes
[] are used to indicate stage directions
All dialogue follows a "Speaker: dialogue" format
{} are used for author comments.
CONTINUE
[Axel arrives at the mall at the dock nearby. The mall wasn't a single building, but a shopping plaza with connected buildings near the coast. He jumps out of the boat and takes off letting the boat drift off because-]
Dock worker: Your boat!?
Axel: Time travel! [as he runs off.]
[He runs to the building, closes his eyes and listens. He hears a strong pulsing ringing from the back area in the back of the building and moves toward that building with the sound. Focus on that loading bay door.]
[Match cut to the same door on the inside, then the girls enter frame. They run into the loading bay and see the downed security guards.]
Mabel: Ines!
Zoe: Mr. Frosch what are you doing?
[Their teacher growls. The doors crashes shut behind them as lightning flickers from his fingertips.]
Mabel: He's been possessed.
Landry: Like the creature from Stranger Things?
Zoe: Well, he can't take all of us. [electro bolt knocks Landry down. The other girls just stare at her downed body] HE CAN! HE ABSOLUTELY CAN TAKE ALL OF US!
[There's a sweeping drone shot of the entire zone the avatars are in.
The pink tower is at the other end of the valley. The valley was created by pillars of gradually increasing heights and sheer drops. They are at branching pathways of connected similar elevation pillars along each slope. The hummingbirds are making circles back and forth across the valley so they cover the paths on either side. Lastly, there's a structure with a roof on top of a pillar on top of the left side the valley.]
Ethan: Hey plot device. Run for the tower. If they all go after you, they'll be in a predictable pattern.
Ai: I'll be like the wind.
[Ai takes off. The hummingbirds circle around and follow her through the valley of spires.]
Ethan: [To Korey] When their attention is on the AI, bring down the one that doesn't target her.
Disc: What are you going to be doing while both are distracted?
Ethan: Taking the high ground.
[He takes of jumping to a higher and higher spires to reach a higher bridge. One of the birds is tailing Ai while the other with the tarantula loops back to charge up a blast for the four EXO avatars.]
Connor: DPS on the one at 10 o'clock. 1, 2, 3 DPS NOW
[The combined mass of projectiles from the clatter of the guns hit the hummingbird on the left side of the valley, ones of it's turbines exploding with smoke and it flips its passenger before it nose dived to the floor below. The tarantula landed onto a the left side of the valley and made its way to the overwatch room with open walls and a roof held up by thin poles.
Ethan sees the birds chasing team EXO team and Ai as they run along a path of pillars forming stair steps along the curve of the valley.
The tarantula is climbing into the overwatch room and turns to shoot down at the avatars on the path.
Ethan slams his hand down and the red circuits spread across the tarantula's head and back. The meter on Ethan's back starts to drop from full of glowing red to dull crimson.]
Ethan: OWF
[The tarantula backhands him off the opposite side of the tower. The red circuit pattern, only across half of its body cracks and breaks away as soon as his hand leaves contact. He skids over the tower edge to the sheer drop to the curved floor below.
Ethan LP: 60 – 50
He's falling and flips over himself, avatar sparking.
PHCKSHIIII-
Ethan ignites and slams his plasma sword into the side of the pillar, hanging from where the sword nubs are attached to his wrist. He looks over and sees the hummingbird with the damaged turbine charge up a shot. Connor turns around just to catch the blast to the face.
BURRZZN
The tarantula in the sniper's nest is firing on Ai as she and the others stop and turn around to deal with their threats.
Ethan places a hand on the metal pillar. The red circuits spread out and spark. His hand sinks slightly into the metal. The meter on the back brace dips from half full to almost empty. He reintegrates his sword, hanging from his hand attached to the wall, then phases out the sword, now out of his foot, into the wall. The circuits retract into his hand and the meter on his back goes back up to half. He pushes himself up the tower and repeats the process until he peeks over the edge.
The tarantula is in a kneeling stance rapid firing at Ai below. It turns to notice him. Ethan hoists himself up rolls up and takes a wild shot at the Tarantula. It hits the knee and it drops onto its forearms. This gives Ethan the chance to run at it. It tries to bash him with its metal forearms again. Just as he's about to run into the attack he pivots and runs out over the ledge. The melee attack misses. Ethan phases out his sword again, now with one of the poles holding up the roof through the hollow of the sword. Ethan parkours up the pole and swings around to kicks the tarantula in the back of the head, smashing its face into the ground.
PHCKSHI-PSSSSSS
Ethan ignites his plasma sword and nails the tarantula's back legs to the ground.]
Ethan: Integration!
[The same circuit pattern spreads out on the tarantula before its sucked into Ethan.
BING
Ethan LP: 50 – 100
The gauge on Ethan's back fills back up to full red. Ethan takes the new weapon the spawned on his back. It had the long barrel of a sniper rifle, made from the tarantula's leg with the red laser emitter instead of a hole at the end of the barrel.
POV as he peers down the scope made from the tarantula's head and muzzle.
A tarantula on the other hummingbird lands a shot on Ai knocking her onto her stomach.
Ai LP: 100 - 80
KOW
The tarantula that just fired on her explodes twice. Once from the headshot, twice from it's own death throes a second later.
Pulls back on the bolt handle on the front of the gun. It's made from another of the tarantulas legs. Particles and steam eject from the slits on the scope of the gun as if what was once a tanratula was now taking a breath after firing. He releases the trigger from the grip made from the green material of the tarnatula's stomach.]
Ai: Nice one! [thumbs up]
Ethan: [shouting from across the chasm] I was aiming for YOU. Get going idiot.
[He lays down on his stomach and flips up the bipod kickstand is made from the back tarantulas legs.
There's a bend in the valley before the path on the right side reaches the tower.
EXO members take out the second turbine on the same side as the first on the already wounded bird. It attempts to use the one on its tail to keep it up, but it careens head first into the side of the valley.]
Hainer: Damn bullet sponge.
[The EXO avatars catch up to where Ai is hiding. The second hummingbird, now riderless, darts back toward where the others are circling the tower.]
Korey: We'll going ahead clear everything out. You think you can take care of this tower quickly so we can go back to playing?
Ai: Sounds sweet.
[Korey, Disc, and Hainer move beyond the bend.]
[beat]
Korey: Is that…
Disc: AHHHHHH!
Ethan: What's going on?! I don't have line of sight there.
[Team EXO immediately retreats back from the bend and hides behind the nearest pillar to Ai.]
Hainer: It's the Flood!
Ethan: Guys The Flood are in a completely different ga [peers through scope] holy- it's the Flood! Run!
[Ai is running to catch up to the EXO members who have caught up with her and retreating past her.]
Disc: NOPE NOPE, run away. NOW!
Ai: What's her prob-
[They hear a scuttling noise]
Hainer: backupbackupbackup
Korey: Away! Away to not here!
[Half of the members try jumping up across a gap to another to the left path, but Hainer's rigid avatar can't quite jump the gap, hits the edge, falls straight down, and shatter on the ground below. Ai makes the jump and looks back at the monsters just now rounding the bend.
Pan to show the scuttering things come into frame. They're kankrelots. Just kankrelots. They look to each other confused, one tilts its head.]
[Axel rolls up a loading bay shutter door and crawls under it. He hears the fight going on. The girls are fighting frosch. Zoe had picked up one of the security guards and tries to drag them out of the battle to an office door where the legs of the other security guard are poking out.
Landry gets a forklift and tries to drive it into Frosch. He launches a blue lighting bolt that hijacks the controls and makes it swerve to the side and crash into some palettes.
Mabel manages to get to Ines's chair and untie her. Ines immediately jumps up and runs away. She screams and covers her head as lightning is whizzing past her.]
Mabel: Ines wait! We all need to get out of here.
STEP
[Mabel tries to dodge as a fist coated with lightning slams into her. She flies over the floor and rolls on the ground.
Ines runs past a giant spool of wire on ground that Axel is hiding behind. He's taken something out of his backpack: duct tape, a wired controller, and a pocket knife, and splitting the casing on the wires on the controller and coiled wire that was stacked nearby.]
Axel: [whisper] Hey, don't bring his attention here. Ethan is already scanned. I set something up before I left. The boat is by the back dock. Keep his attention and I'll hit him with this once its finished and where are you-
[Ines had ducked out the shutter door and is running down the dock to the boat.]
Axel: [frustrated] HMMMMGH
Frosch: [distorted] Axel.
[Axel freezes as the spools he was behind levitate up and crash around him. Frosch with his flickering silhouette approaches him.]
KEEP READING. NEXT PAGE.