Editor's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners, DC, Monolith Entertainment, etc.
I'm sorry to say that the update schedule for this story will become less consistent going forward, but I am committed to getting this story finished, but won't say when that will be. Real life has made getting consistent amounts of writing done and I will have to adjust my upload schedule accordingly. Sucks, believe you me, but that is the case, at least for the foreseeable future.
Zatanna: Synchronicity
Chapter 5: Redirection
Drawing near the next corner, the Point Man raised a fist, bringing his companion to a halt as he took a moment to check that the magazine in the 10mm HV Penetrator was full. It wasn't another of the monstruous multi shot rocket launchers that he had used to fell the REV9, but it was the next best thing he could find in the weapons cache the duo had moved on from.
"What's the matter?" asked Zatanna, the woman's voice a little bit calmer than the last time she'd asked that same question. "You heard Betters, Fettle is already in the Executive Building. If we don't get to Alice soon…."
"Yeah, and they know we're coming," he cut off as roughly as he reinserted the magazine into the weapon, using it to gesture to the sign hanging on the wall. "And that skybridge is the only way across, which they know too," he explained while his hands checked his belt and counted off a trio of frags, plus a remote explosive.
"You think it's a trap," realized Zatanna, and Oswalt had to admit she was catching on quick.
"I know it's a trap," corrected the Point Man as he rolled his neck, "Question is, what kind?"
"Well, I don't sense any magic," observed the Homo-magi, which elicited a bit of relief, helped further by her casting a quick spell. "Mrasid spart!" A ripple went through the air, causing Justin to wait with baited breath for several long seconds until he heard the clicking of Zatanna's heels as she strode by and rounded the corner.
The Point Man rushed after her, "Zee, wait," he hissed as he rounded the corner and stepped onto the skybridge, windows on either side giving him a view of the city. Justin wasn't focused on that, instead keeping his eyes on the back of the Showwoman as she strode confidently down the corridor.
She had reached the door at the opposite end without incident by the time he'd caught up to her, "See," she said with a smug grin, "There was nothing here. Nepo rood!" she ordered, the door before them swinging open to reveal yet another dimly lit corridor. "Now all we need to do is find…."
Justin's eyes flashed to the flash of motion in the corner of his periphery and saw the incoming hand grenade as it bounced on the ground. Superhuman reflexes spurring him to action, the Point Man wrapped and arm around Zatanna and dove to the corner, cutting her off before the blast of the hand grenades shook the whole skybridge. The air was filled with dust as lights were jarred from the ceiling and swung from their fixtures, Justin's ears were ringing from the ambush. Beneath him, he could feel Zatanna struggling to get free, but he kept her pinned, "Stay down," he snarled, not a second before gunfire ripped through the corridor, bullets tearing through the walls and shattering the glass of the skybridge.
Chilly, whipping winds battered the pair while they cowered from the sudden onslaught, enough to make Oswalt shiver as he rolled over and wrestled the Penetrator around to take aim at the door before he had a better idea. Raising the muzzle of the weapon, the Point Man loosed a 10mm diameter steel spike that speared the swinging light fixture, causing it to flicker out before it was joined by the others on the skybridge, casting him in nearly pitch blackness before he crawled to the still swung open doors. Seeing the flash of muzzles on the other side as more gunfire drowned out any other noise, Justin took aim at one and fired a single, well aimed stake that found its mark.
One gun fell silent, replaced by a distorted scream as the struck Replica recoiled back into the wall behind him, where he hung limply by the nail still lodged in his head. The squad of clones opened up with another barrage of suppressing fire as Oswalt saw another Replica break cover. Time seemed to slow for the Point Man as he swung the weapon around and loosed a string of shots from the 10mm, watching his target stagger and stumble as they found their mark.
"Woah, shit!" exclaimed one of the Replica in the clone's gruff tone, "They're at the skybridge. We need reinforcements, now!"
Priming a grenade, the Point Man hurled the spherical N6A3 into one side of the darkened room before getting to his feet and sprinting towards the other side. Seeing a toppled vending machine, the FEAR Operator rushed for it when a Replica peered over the top of it. Reacting quickly, Oswalt vaulted over the vending machine and slid, feet first, into the clone before leveling the 10mm and putting a trio of stakes in his chest. No sooner had he braced himself against the vending machine than the grenade detonated, followed by the screams of one of the clones as the body went flying.
Seeing no sign of the Replica, Oswalt unseated the nearly empty mag from the Penetrator and was reaching for his spare when his earpiece crackled. "Where is he?" asked one of the clone soldiers.
Cursing his impatience, the Point Man pulled his pistol as he heard a second Replica reply, "There! By the vending machine!"
"Where's the other one?" questioned the first.
"I'm not sure," was the answer, "On the skybridge, I think." It was enough to prompt Oswalt to twist around and look back to check on Zatanna, but saw no sign of the Magician. Any debate about what to do was abruptly ended when he heard the call, "Frag out!"
Oswalt was already moving when the grenade landed beside the vending machine, seeing the Replica who had thrown the explosive and snapping off a quick shot from the USP before the second clone came around the corner and Justin was forced to fire a trio of shots in his direction. That was all he could manage before the shockwave from the N6A3 washed over his back, knocking the wind from his chest and loosening his footing. With it inevitable he would go down, Justin kicked his feet out and slid forwards while he loosed a string of shots that stitched up the exposed clone, blood flying from his perforated vest.
Faced with the slide of his pistol being locked back, magazine empty, Oswalt looked up at the last Replica as he raised his rifle and simply hurled the empty handgun at the clone's head. The 27 ounce USP tumbled end over end before striking its target in the face, stunning the clone and allowing the Point Man to draw his second pistol and shoot the last Replica dead. Taking one last look around, Oswalt slowly advanced through the carnage that came from the failed ambush and retrieved his thrown USP, reloading all of his weapons on his way back to the skybridge. Inside, he saw Zatanna upright, rubbing her head as she braced herself against the wall. "You okay?" Oswalt asked, causing the Homo magi to look up at him with bleary eyes.
"Uhhh… I think so," she mumbled, slowly trying to get to his feet on unsteady legs, but before she could fall forwards, Oswalt was there to catch her, propping her up as she put her weight on him. "Thanks," she said sheepishly before she stood up straight and spoke, "Ehcadeah og yawa." Shaking her head, Justin looked down into her eyes, holding her gaze for a moment as her hand reached out, "What happened to you?" she wondered, finger trailing along his red tinted glasses.
As soon as she did, the lens spiderwebbed to the point of uselessness, damage done by the explosions finally compromising the sturdy glasses. Sighing, Oswalt removed the glasses and tossed them away, his eyes adjusting to the change in light without the protective lenses. "I got a little shaken up too, I guess," replied the Point Man before gesturing towards the Executive Building, "We need to get moving, before more Replica arrive."
Zatanna paused a beat before nodding, "Alright, let's go."
Arriving at yet another stable of offices, the Showgirl started to wonder if the pair was traveling in circles around the seemingly labyrinthine floors of the Armacham Executive building. There hadn't been any sign of the Replica since the encounter on the skybridge, but they were hardly needed to keep Zatanna on edge, not when the air was heavy with an oppressively dark magic that kept the lights flickering and shadowy figures seemingly in every corner. Yet Zatanna was still alert, and she saw a placard on the wall that allayed one of her worries. "Look," she whispered, "Alice Wade. Her desk was here."
The Point Man subetly shifted, "Okay, check it, I'll cover you." Giving a silent nod, the Homo magi delved in amongst the cubicles before finding one with a flickering computer monitor that illumanted the photo of a woman in her mid thirties alongside an older bespectacled man with a bushy white mustache. Giving the mouse a wiggle, the computer came to life to reveal her open email. "Alice, you have to get out of there. You're in danger. Get to my office and lock the door. Signed Harlan Wade," read Zatanna aloud before examining the signature, "His office number is here, looks like it's two floors up."
"Then that's our next stop," replied the FEAR Operator, "Let's take the stairs." Zatanna followed him towards the stairwell as he entered and swept his shotgun up and down. Bathed in faint red emergency lights, Zatanna couldn't help but peer over the railing when something dripped onto the back of her neck. Recoilign reflexively, the magic users' hand shot to the drop of liquid and wiped it off before she inspected it to see that her white glove was now marred by a dark stain. Looking up, Zatanna could see the body hanging off a higher point on the stairs, its head missing, another trickle of blood fell from the man's neck.
Now more than eager to get moving, Zatanna kept up with the Point Man as they ascended one floor without incident, but as they neared their destination, even the emergency lights started to flicker, static crackling in the borrowed earpiece. The Point Man's flashlight came up, the white beam cutting through the darkness to light the way as they carefully ascended the steps until they arrived at the landing for the floor they wanted, the light coming until it was cast on a figure standing beside the door, a small child in a red dress, pale face obscured by long black hair. Zatanna watched, wide eyed, as the figure of Alma faded into ash as the door behind her open, a sudden rush of air blowing the remnants of the specter past the pair and down the stairwell behind him, faint childish laughter echoing off the concrete.
"God I hope she's still alive," whispered Zatanna as she took in several deep breaths.
"And that nobody's gotten to her first," replied the Point Man, the lights coming back up to reveal his eyes, wide and alert after the close encounter. "Nobody and nothing."
Moving with renewed haste, the pair soon found themselves outside a dim office with a nameplate on the locked door that read 'Harlan Wade.' Trying the handle to confirm the office was locked, Zatanna leaned in close and called as loudly as she dared, "Alice? Alice can you open the door? We won't hurt you," she promised, though the Magician knew the words likely rang hollow.
Waiting a beat, the Homo magi looked back at the Point Man before taking a breath and placing a gloved hand on the door handle. "Kcolnu rood," the spell had its desired effect, the lock audibly clicking before Zatanna pushed the door open, "Tel ereht eb thgil."
The lights illuminated a startled woman peering up over the big desk at the center of the room. "You're not one of them," realized the woman as she got to her feet, "I'd pretty much given up on being rescued."
"You're Alice Wade?" asked Zatanna, and the blonde woman nodded back, wiping her hands on her already soiled and wrinkled blouse.
"Ms. Wade," intoned the Point Man, "We're going to get you out of here, but we need to move quickly."
"Not yet, I need to get to my dad," Wade pleaded.
Zatanna exchanged a glance with the Point Man, "Where is he?" the Magician asked.
"Some kind of classified facility. I've never heard of it. There isn't even a street address," the Armacham employee replied. "Just UTM coordinates, and the entrances are all hidden, but I have passcodes. Here," she said, offering a post-it note with some scribbling on it.
"Tomcat, this is Point Man," said the FEAR Operator. "We've secured Alice Wade, she's unharmed. She reports that her father is at a classified Armacham facility at grid coordinates…." He continued before rattling off the strings of numbers on the note.
Zatanna, meanwhile, was drawn to the computer and the plethora of notes on the desk before it, all taken in a delicate hand that did not match the scribbling on the crumpled post-it she'd given the Point Man. "What's all this?" asked the Magician.
"I'm sorry, I… it's all confidential," protested Wade as she rushed to gather up the papers and stuff them into her purse, "I just told you what I did so you can help rescue my father."
"Ms. Wade… Alice," implored the Homo magi, "Armacham has mettled with forces beyond the realms of the material world and unleashed something they cannot control, despite what Aristede seems to think." The blonde looked like she'd been hit by a train, bracing herself on her father's desk as Zatanna spoke gently, "We can't keep you safe, can't rescue your father, if we don't know what's waiting for us…."
Indecision wracked Wade for a moment as she let out a heaving sob and Zatanna was worried she'd pushed Alice too far before the woman answered. "I… I was part of a task force, researching what happened to the Auburn district. The place used to be a nice suburb, thousands lived there, but now? Now it's a ghost town. I thought that was because the company was looking to expand and build a new facility there, but that wasn't it. That wasn't it at all," she revealed with a shake of her head. "The company already built a facility there, in the eighties, it's where my dad is."
Heart and mind racing, Zatanna looked up to see the Point Man was intently paying attention to what Wade was saying. "They closed it, abruptly. I don't know why, and left it that way for… years, until recently. I went through my dad's messages, it wasn't hard when my birthday is his password," she admitted with a wry chuckle. "Aristede sent a team in about a month ago, and they never came out. So she sent another team in to look for them, and they disappeared. When that happened, she got spooked and sealed the vault. And only then did she go to my father, who I guess used to work there, but I never heard him talk about what they did. Anyway, my father… he got pretty heated. Aristede wants to 'sanitize' the place, whatever that means, he's fought her on that tooth and nail to preserve it but at the same time was paranoid about the whole situation spinning out of control. I guess he was right to be."
It was the Point Man who broke the eerie silence that settled in the office. "Who all knows about this?"
"Well… I do," replied Alice, eyes darting around before she took a deep breath, "The rest of the team knew about the project. That would be uh… Iain Hives, Charlie Habbegger, and Norton Mapes," she said with a slight shudder that Zatanna understood. "There were also a couple people from upstairs. Aldus Bishop, Marshall Disler, and Bill. That's William Moody. Then my dad obviously knew, and from his messages it sounds like Phil Vecchio knew… probably a lot more than any of us."
Zatanna couldn't help but look up at the Point Man and could almost read his mind through his eyes, the realization that both ATC Security and Fettel were working their way through that exact same list. It was clear that Aristede wanted to tie up loose ends and cover the whole thing up, which begged the question of what this 'Origin' was.
Fettel, on the other hand, had some unknown motivation, which Zatanna found even more unnerving.
"First thing's first," the FEAR Operator said, pulling the Magician' from her conundrums, "We need to get to the roof, a helo is coming to pick you up."
"A… A Helo? You mean a helicopter?" asked Alice, voice trembling. "Can't we drive instead? My car's downstairs in the parking garage."
"Nervous?" questioned the Point Man.
"A little," Wade admitted.
"We have the 160th here, they're the best. You're safer with them. Faster too," he added.
"I don't know if anywhere is 'safe,'" muttered Wade as she slung her purse over her shoulder, "But it probably is faster. Let's go."
"Chopper is five minutes out, need to move fast. Where's the elevator?" the Point Man asked, getting Alice to point to the left. "Then follow me, stay close. Zatanna, you got the trail position, watch our backs," he ordered, prompting the Magician to straighten and nod before he raised his weapon and strode out of the office.
Following him through the deserted halls, Zatanna felt her hairs standing on end as lights flickered in the distance. Ever used to the feeling of being watched, the stage magician couldn't shake a familiar sense of Déjà vu as the Point Man called the elevator. Rocking on her heels, Zatanna kept her eyes down the hall when there was the 'ding' of the lift arriving. The doors opened to reveal a harshly well lit interior and inundate the group with sickeningly pleasant music.
The group filed in, the Point Man pressing the button for the roof on the keypad before the doors closed, sealing the trio inside the lift before it shifted under their feet. Zatanna found her eyes drifting towards the Point Man, trying to get a read on the Operator when Alice spoke, fear creeping into her words. "Why are all the floors lighting up?" she asked, and Zatanna's head whipped back to the panel as more and more buttons shone brightly.
"Shit," cursed the Point Man as he readied his strange nail gun weapon and looked back. "Alice, come here, down in this corner," he barked, guiding the blonde to the safest spot, "Zee, get on that side and get ready. We need barriers, can't have someone toss a frag in here."
"Wha… what are you going to do?" stammered Wade as she balled herself up.
"Cover your ears," warned the Point Man as Zatanna felt the elevator slow beneath her heeled boots, "It's going to get loud."
With a 'ding' the doors began to open, and before Zatanna could even begin to cast her spell, the Point Man's weapon snapped over and coughed, discharging three solid steel stakes. A pained scream echoed off the walls before the Magician spoke. "Dleihs siht srood!" she commanded, magic flowing through her to form a wall in the sliding elevator doors that rippled from the long burst of automatic gunfire that hammered on it. "Tcelfer stellub!"
Instead of falling to the floor like the first salvo, the next bursts that struck the barrier ricocheted off and flew back into the lobby at the Replica squad. Gritting her teeth as she watched the elevator doors slowly begin to close, deforming with each bullet that struck them until they finally came together and the floor shifted under the Magician's feet.
"Thank god that's over," gasped Alice before the elevator began to slow and everyone looked at the array of buttons and saw that there were still more lit. "Oh no…."
The jazzy elevator music only droned on even when the doors opened and it was drowned out by the blasts of shotguns as the still erect barrier absorbed the fire. "They're in the elevator!" came a voice over the earpiece, "They're headed for the roof!" In the corner of her eye, Zatanna saw the Point Man's arm rear back, frag in hand.
"Ediug eht edanerg ot sti tegrat!" commanded the Magician as it passed through the barrier and veered in an unnatural curve towards the source of the gunfire.
Zatanna saw it loop around a pillar and arc behind a sofa between a pair of Replica troopers before her radio picked up a panicked call, "Shit, grenade!" a second before it exploded and both bodies went flying in opposite directions.
There was another bright flash in the room as Zatanna saw a trio of rockets sly towards the open elevator and braced herself for the inevitable impact. Explosions blossomed against the barrier, the muted sounds still left her ears ringing as the spell faltered under the assault, the purple wall flickering out of existence.
"Covering!" barked the Point Man as he stepped out and loosed a wild series of shots from the 10mm Penetrator, the effects of which Zatanna couldn't see as she stumbled back against the wall. Catching herself, the Homo magi took a deep breath, preparing to cast another spell while Alice scampered across the gap and jammed her finger on the button to force the elevator doors closed, the last of the incoming gunfire replaced by the same incessant elevator jingle. "Goddamn it," groused the Point Man, "I'm out."
With that declaration, he tossed away his weapon and readied his shotgun while Alice stared incredulously at the buttons, "There's still one more lit up."
As the elevator began to slow, Zatanna felt an unnatural chill fill the elevator before the doors opened and all the lights cut off. "What's going on?" asked Alice as the Point Man's flashlight came on, "What happened to the power?"
Going ramrod straight, Zatanna watched the FEAR Operator lean around the edge of the open elevator door and peer outside, her breath hitching as she watched him take a step out of the lift and look over the whole lobby. "Clear," he announced curtly before taking another step forward and Zatanna followed him out. The landing was sparser than the previous ones, with the major feature visible being the security office, it's light still on despite the darkness that blanketed the rest of the lobby. "Stay here Zee," instructed the Point Man. "I'll get the power back on; if something happens, jump in the elevator and get Wade to the roof."
The Magician felt the urge to argue, but instead said, "Be careful." With a nod, the Point Man turned and pressed deeper into the darkness, the beam of his light leading the way. Seconds crawled by, Zatanna's head swinging from left to right as she peered down the hallways to discern what might be lurking in the shadows before she saw movement ahead of her. On the other side of the bulletproof glass of the security office, the Point Man appeared, looking down at the various controls inside before he suddenly shifted. His head snapped up with his gun following suit, and Zatanna saw his wide eyes before she heard the elevator doors begin to close and spun around, catching a glimpse of a bewildered Wade alongside the smaller silhouette of a younger, dress wearing girl.
Opening her mouth to cast a spell, Zatanna found the words died on her tongue, the chill in the air choking out the warning shout she futilely tried to get out as the doors shut. A second later, the lights smoothly came back on and the Magician jumped at the loud thunk behind her and whipped around to see the Point Man's fist slammed against the bullet proof glass. He then hastily gestured to Zatanna's right, and the Magician rushed in that direction to rejoin the Point Man, "Nepo rood!" she shouted, the pair not even slowing down as they rushed inside. Grabbing the Point Man's hand, she pulled him into the center of the stairwell, "Tfil su ot eht pot level!"
The pair were swept up together, flung through the concrete stairs before being summarily deposited at the top, scrambling back to their feet to rush through the doors and out into a small room packed with tools and supplies, the only light coming from the moonlight and distant lights coming through the barred over window. "There you two are!" called the panicky voice of Alice Wade, the woman shivering on the rooftop as she stared through the window. "Why'd we separate? I remember the power going out in the elevator and you both going to turn it back on. Next thing I knew, the elevator had arrived at the top floor and I was still alone."
"It must have been some glitch when the power came back on," lied Zatanna as she forced a smile. "We're just glad you're okay. The helicopter should be here soon."
"There it is," added the Point Man, pointing into the distance as the first faint hint of the rhythmic sound of the rotorcraft as it pulled into view, the same type as the one that had inserted the pair into the Armacham HQ. Just as it appeared, there was a flash in the night sky, like a shooting star, only far to close and traveling into the heavens instead of descending from them. It streaked through the night and arced at a sharp angle before slamming into the tail boom of the helicopter where it exploded brilliantly, casting the rooftop in an orange hue before the thunderous echo of the blast rumbled past the trio as they watched in horror.
Zatanna watched the helicopter spin as it plummeted down out of sight, mouth agape while alongside her, the Point Man's hand was keying his radio. "Point Man to Tomcat, Black Hawk down, we have a Black Hawk down!"
"Shit!" cursed Betters over the radio, "I saw the explosion on the Sat feed. What the fuck was that?"
"This is crazy!" exclaimed Alice as she ducked from the blast. "I'm not waiting here. My dad is in danger!"
"You're in danger!" argued the Point Man empathically, "Calm down!" But Zatanna could see it was no use as the woman was heading back inside. "Ms. Wade!"
"What's happening?" demanded Betters, "Where's she going?"
Realization hit the Magician, "The parking garage." She looked up at the bewildered Point Man and repeated herself. "She's going to the parking garage, she said that's where her car is." The FEAR Operator turned away and went for another door, raising his shotgun to one of the hinges and firing the weapon, blasting the metal to bits. "What are you doing? The stairs are this way."
"Yeah, but," he grunted before cycling the pump action of his gun, "Those stairs don't go down below the floor we came from." With that, he fired the gun again, blowing the other hinge away and stepping aside to let the door fall back and slam against the floor. "So we gotta go find another way down."
The last of his shotgun shells blasted apart the skylight and the pair dropped down inside the well appointed office suite, the Point Man drawing his pistols as he swept through the deserted suite. "Wonder who's this is," mused Zatanna, the purple hue's of her magic dissipating as she landed beside the Point Man and began to look around.
"Executive building? Top floor? Do you really need to ask?" replied the Point Man, his light hitting the name plate on the monstrous desk that read 'Genevieve Aristide.'
Zatanna flipped around and opened the laptop at the desk's edge, her eyes widening as she scanned whatever files had been left open. "This is the memo for setting up the task force. It started after ATC opened the Origin facility. Judging by this report, the epicenter is in the Auburn district."
"Then that's where the facility is, it's where Harlan Wade is," realized Oswalt. "Anything else?"
After a momentary pause, Zatanna nodded, "More info about Origin. The prototypes were created from a 'genetic reference.' Probably a euphemism for someone's DNA. Doesn't say who, only that the 'Subject' is in an induced coma. What's strange is that… I don't see mention of anything magical at all in here."
"Could be a part of the technology used?" suggested Justin.
But Zatanna only shook her head, "Technology and Magic don't mix," she stated emphatically.
Exhaling deeply, the Point Man didn't argue with her, instead looking around for what he'd hoped to originally find when another thought crossed his mind. "It explains why the ATC Security Goons didn't want this getting out. It's not just company secrets about ethically questionable bioengineering experiments." Spying what he wanted, the Point Man strode towards the closed doors of the executive elevator, "I think they're covering up some pretty nasty shit."
Instead of poindering what that might be, Justin instead turned his focus to the elevator doors, trying the button to call the lift, but multiple presses yielded nothing and so he holstered his pistols to go at the doors with his gloved hands. Pulling with all the strength he could muster, the Point Man just managed to crack the doors open when he heard Zatanna cast a spell. "Yrp srood nepo!" she said before a five foot tall floor lamp flew across the room and jammed itself into the space between the doors to help the Point Man force them open. Moving quickly, Oswalt lodged the empty SPAS-12 into the gap and hoped the Franchi weapon would hold as he peered down the shaft.
"It's definitely farther down," deadpanned the Point Man as he looked back at the Magician. "Think you can help us get down there?"
The Magican strutted over with a confident smirk on her face as she leaned in close to him to peer into the elevator shaft. "I might have a trick or two up my sleeve." That was all the warning Justin got before she grabbed his hand and shouted, "Ekat su ot eht mottob fo eht rotavele tfahs!"
Oswalt saw one of the desk chairs move in the corner of his eye before realizing it was flying unnaturally towards him, slamming into the back of his legs. The Point Man found himself seated, almost naturally, into the plush chair before Zatanna settled swiftly down in his lap, wrapping her arms around him and flashing him a smile before they were whisked away, plummeting down the nearly pitch-black elevator shaft.
In the heat of the moment, Justin forgot about the world outside that elevator shaft and focused on the woman sitting in his lap, his arms naturally holding onto her as they plummeted down. "Are you always so forward on a first date, Zee?" he asked, not realizing the words had come out until they reached his hears.
Behind his mask, Justin was sure his face was bright red, but Zatanna couldn't have seen. The Magician laughed as the her hair whipped behind her head. "Is that what this is?" she asked, "Though I guess I have been on worse ones."
Laughing nervously at her little joke, Oswalt felt himself relax and kept the rapport going. "You'll have to tell me about that on our second date. I'll try to pick something more pedestrian, like dinner."
"Sounds like a plan, but I have one condition," she answered. "I don't go on dates with masked men when I don't know their names."
Only at this question did Oswalt's mind catch up to his mouth and he paused to question if this was serious and if it was something he wanted to really go through with, considering the ignominious circumstances that had brought him to Zatanna's show alone. Before he could reply, a sudden unseen force slowed the freefalling chair, causing Oswalt to grunt as Zatanna fell against him before they gently touched down on the top of an elevator car. Recovering, the Point Man helped Zatanna up before he eased himself out of the lounger and found the escape hatch on the elevator. Kicking it in, he drew his pistol and dropped down, finding the interior lit with power before trying the button to open the doors. When that worked, Oswalt was greeted with the sight direct connection to the parking garage, all the concrete pillars and neatly parked vehicles lined up between them.
Before setting off, Oswalt looked back at Zatanna as she straightened her jacket and came to a choice. "My name is Justin," he told her before drawing a USP and took point on the way to the parking garage.
The sudden screeching of tires and roar of an engine had him stopping, raising the HK and train the gun on the black sports sedan that zipped past, but no so fast that Oswalt couldn't see who was at the wheel. "Tomcat, Point Man. Alice Wade has fled the scene in a black, BMW sedan. Please advise, over?"
"Shit," cursed Betters. "Stubborn little bitch, isn't she? Alright, let's see here… I've got her on the satellite. She's heading northwest, towards the Auburn district. I've routed a second chopper to you, clear the roof of the parking garage and they'll pick you up there."
"Point Man copies all, out," responded the FEAR operator before turning to Zatanna and giving her a nod before they moved into the garage. Not far into the first floor did they find a pair of dead ATC security guards sprawled on the ground, "Wait one," said Oswalt as he scooped up an MP5 and checked that the mag was still full. As he went through the morbid process of searching the dead men for their ammunition, Oswalt found his mouth running of its own accord again. "I just transferred out here, been based back east for the most part. I don't know any good restaurants."
Zatanna's reply was a wry chuckle, "Don't worry Justin, I know all the best places."
Oswalt decided he liked hearing the Magician say his name as he readied the SMG and led the way deeper into the garage. "With you making the recommendation, I expect to be amazed."
Before the banter could continue, Oswalt's earpiece crackled with the gruff voices of a Replica trooper. "Search the area, find the girl," it said as the Point Man ducked behind a pillar at the base of a ramp, Zatanna beside him as he peered out and saw the squad appear at the top of the ramp.
They came down as Oswalt slinked back around the concrete and looked at Zatanna before pointing towards a group of parked cars across from them. The Magician nodded and quietly cast a spell. "Tes ffo eht rac smrala!"
The garage was filled with the ear-splitting cacophony of four car alarms blaring simultaneously, lights flashing to light up the dimly lit concrete structure. Readying his last grenade, Oswalt hoped the distraction worked as he tossed it around the corner. "Shit, grenade!" shouted one of them before the explosive detonated, filling the air with dust and causing even more car alarms sound. "Take cover!" commanded a Replica.
Time slowed for Justin as he took aim with the MP5, seeing the soldiers fan out and settled his sights on the one closest to hiding and squeezed the trigger. The HK barked in his hands, sending a burst into the back of the clone, blood erupting from his back as he fell limply. Oswalt swept the gun to another Replica and kept firing, cutting down two more with a long burst that also tore off chunks of concrete and kicked up more dust before the gun fell silent, magazine empty.
Ducking back behind the pillar, Justin yanked the bolt back and shoved it up into the notch to lock the gun open before ripping the empty magazine out. While in the process of fitting a fresh one, Zatanna stepped out the other side and shouted "Cigam rillap!" causing a burst of energy to erupt from the floor under a running Replica, throwing him off his feet and sending him skidding across the concrete. "Gniknil sgnir, Gnikinl sgnir, Gnikinl sgnir!" she chanted, sending out a barrage of magical rings that ensnared yet more Replica, tripping them up and keeping them in the open so that when Oswalt had readied his SMG, he had a bevy of easy targets that he quickly dispatched with well aimed three round bursts.
The concrete pillar beside Oswalt then exploded, pepeering him with concrete chips as he reflexively recoiled back and saw the one Replica who'd gotten into cover behind a car parked on the slope of the ramp and was aiming at him with a truly enormous weapon. Spraying back with the MP5, Oswalt managed to force the Replica's head down as he reached out and grabbed Zatanna arm before dragging the Magician off in search of more solid cover. Flinching as the autocannon's thunderous report echoed off the walls of the garage, Justin eventually reached the wall at the edge of the ramp, out of the Replica's line of fire as his mind raced.
"We gotta do something about this guy," he growled before the cannon thundered, tearing a chunk out of a car door.
"Where is he?" asked Zatanna before another series of shots rang out, tearing more concrete off the pillars and walls as the Replica seemed to fire indiscriminately.
"Halfway up the ramp," answered Oswalt, wincing as his ears were battered by the Replica's weapon firing again. "Behind the parked car."
Zatanna smirked devilishly, "Then prepare to be astounded… Elbasid gnikrap ekarb!"
There was a sudden commotion of metal squeaking and clattering as Oswalt saw the car that had been the Replica's cover roll by and crash into another parked car, wrecking both. Seizing the opportunity, the Point Man rushed around the corner and found the Replica soldier totally exposed as he unloaded into the clone, seeing him stagger under multiple bursts of 9mm gunfire before finally succumbing and falling face first on the concrete.
"Clear!" announced Oswalt as he advanced up the ramp with Zatanna in tow, pausing to sling the SMG on his back and help himself to the 20x82mm repeating cannon that had just been used against him. It was a heavy and awkward weapon to wield, but its bulk was a comfort for whatever might be waiting for them.
The next floor was deserted, without any sign of the Replica except for one of their armored vans left sitting in the middle of the garage, doors left open to reveal no more clones were inside. Reaching the next ramp, the pair pressed upwards to the next level, making their way through it when a strange sensation brought Justin to a sudden stop. "Did you feel that?" he asked.
"What?" asked Zatanna as Oswalt felt it again.
"That shaking," he replied when he heard something in the distance, a heavy thudding impact that had a familiarity, but one he couldn't quite place. Looking around, he tried to determine the source, but the echoing made that impossible, at least until he saw movement as something emerged from around a corner up ahead and his eyes widened. "Scatter!" he barked as the imposing form of the REV9 power suit emerged and took aim at the pair.
Time slowed for Justin as he sprinted to his left, sliding behind a pillar before a barrage of rockets streaked from the Replica controlled armor. "Cigam llaw!" shouted Zatanna, erecting a purple barrier that weathered one of the rockets and the shrapnel and debris kicked up by the others.
Determined to draw fire away from the still exposed Magician, Oswalt popped out and shouldered the MP-50, firing a trio of shots that rocked him with each trigger pull. Each 20mm round found its mark, tearing off chunks of the heavy armor plate that covered the powered REV9, but doing little to slow it as its arm mounted missile launcher swung towards the Point Man.
Time slowed as Justin made another sprint, his whole body straining with the weight of his weapons. A bright flash and puff of smoke in the corner of his eye had him looking at the incoming salvo or rockets. One flew errantly up into the ceiling, showering him with chips of concrete, a second slammed into the column he'd been hiding behind, ripping a gaping hole into it and causing cracks to spiderweb throughout, the third however, seemed to fly true, and Justin ducked under the rocket only for it to slam into the car behind him, the blast throwing him off his feet.
Rolling to a stop, Justin shook his head to get his bearings before leveling the repeating cannon at the REV9 and firing as he got to his feet. Even as more 20mm rounds struck the Replica armored unit, the hulking goliath lumbered forwards, undaunted by the fire Justin was putting into it as it pointed the rocket launcher at the Point Man. "Teppup restam!" shouted Zatanna, with Oswalt seeing the wispy purple tendrils extend from the Magician's hands towards the REV9, its rocket equipped arm snapping up so it unleashed its next salvo into the ceiling. Justin could see the suit struggling against the magical control Zatanna was exerting over it, but didn't watch as he rushed towards the next solid column he could find. "Justin!" shouted Zatanna as he saw her straining to keep the REV9 wrangled, "Shoot the ceiling!"
Quickly realizing her plan, Oswalt unleashed the remainder of the ammunition in the repeating cannon into the concrete above the REV9, exposing and then mangling the rebar and raining chunks around the power armor while it tried to break free of the Magician's control, but only added its own rockets to the Point Man's efforts at her command. Justin saw the purple tendrils flicker and fade from existence and shouted, "Get clear!"
Seeing the Replica suit turn towards Zatanna, Oswalt unslung the MP5 and unleashed a long, ineffectual burst at the REV9, the 9mm rounds ricocheting off the heavy plate. It did serve to get the Replica in the suit to turn his attention to the Point Man, at least for the few seconds Zatanna needed to cast her spell. "Gnirb nwod eht esuoh!"
The roof of the parking garage cracked like glass as it succumbed to the unnatural forces suddenly straining it before suddenly giving way, massive chunks of cement crashing down on the metal suit. Heavy blows staggered the REV9, Oswalt only able to watch as massive dents were put in by the impacts before the whole suit fell forwards amidst the rubble, but more kept coming down. Sparks came from the faltering power armor as it succumbed to the battering before being totally buried in rubble until there was no sign of the formidable foe.
"Hell of a way to close out a show," deadpanned the Point Man as Zatanna, ever the showwoman, took a performative bow. Making the trek up the ramp to the roof, the Point Man could hear the rhythmic chopping of a helicopter rotor waiting for them as they emerged into the night to find the Black Hawk had already landed, the Delta Force team on board fanned out for security.
"This way!" shouted one of the troopers, who Justin quickly recognized as Holiday, who looked okay despite taking fire during the ill-fated attempt to extract Aldus Bishop.
Trotting over, another familiar face greeted them from inside the Black Hawk. "Good to see you made it in one piece," acknowledged Jin, the technical specialist already strapped in.
"You two can make out later," interjected Betters while Justin and Zatanna got situated inside and the rest of the Delta team got back on board. "Just get that bird in the air."
Closing Notes: As cool of a sequence as it is, the bit with the elevator really doesn't make much sense when you think about it. Anyways, it was fun to write in any case, and hopefully y'all enjoyed it. Leave a review if you have something to say.
Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.
