Theres a quietness that happens when you fall for a long time, as if the world suddenly hushed itself, only the sound of the rushing wind to occupy the space you filled a moment before and above. I see the windows of the Centaur building rush by, floor by floor, most are shattered and broken by the explosion that sent me over the rooftop ledge. I see the falling debris, and the man I tried to save, following me as I plummet to the ground, slowly distancing themselves from me. All is so peaceful, so perfectly quiet, like a dream of a dream
My name is Akritar Bane, and todays the day my life ends.
Myself, and the other recruits of Apocalypse were called upon to investigate the overtaking of the Centaur Towers in Skyway City by the Hellions. It is part of our daily routine as the newcomers into the Turbo Starr Academy of Heroism, to aid and assist the police force in minor to medium threats in the city. Our instructors were severe and demanding, and it was expected of us to face dangers, under supervision, of course. Cavalier, the legendary hero, and also chairman of the board to the Emergency Committee of Paragon City (ECPC), was accompanying us on this one. This wasnt our first outing as a unit, but it would be my last
When we reached the building, Pixy the controller, Deatheater and Kyoku Shinkai the scrappers along with Cypheria the defender and myself, were briefed by lieutenant Wincott of the Paragon Police, that Hellions had taken over the building, and were demanding the liberation of inmates from the Brickstown prison. They were hauled up on the last floor of the seventy story high building. We were to go in, flush them out, and assist in the arrest of the gang members, while limiting damage to property. All power to the building had been cut out upon the arrival of the police force.
The team proceeded to the floor in question, quietly sneaking from shadow to shadow, assessing the situation. The Hellions lookouts were taken out swiftly and quietly by Deatheater and Kyoku, assisted by Pixy. Most of them never knew what hit them. While me and Cypheria scouted ahead to find the core location of the opposing force. We found them holed up in an office, all twelve of them, pacing to and fro, in front of five office workers, hostages. The first thing Cypheria noticed, was the gang leader, holding on to some kind of remote control, which was identified as a detonator switch for an as of yet, unknown bomb. The second thing we noticed, was the presence of firearms, preventing us from rushing them. Moving back to our safe location, we decided to find the exploding device first, and dispose of it, if we could, if not, to call in the bomb squad for safe removal.
When Kyoku radioed in, on the Apocalypse frequency that the bomb was on the roof, right under the helicopter landing platform, the team moved up there. The device was a simple TNT assemblage, with a clock like timer which indicated two hours left before detonation. Our team leader, Pixy, informed Cavalier right away of the situation. A few minutes later, the perimeter of the building was cleared by the police, which removed itself to a safer distance, while the bomb squad was called in. Pixy then ordered the scrappers and Cypheria to move back down, and fashion a plan to subdue the Hellions without injuries to the hostages, putting in charge Deatheater. While me and her remained up on the roof. My powers being rooted in gravity, I couldve easily lifted the bomb up and away, but the chance of a motion trigger couldnt be ignored, so we simply kept a wary eye on the device. Minutes seemed to be on a stand still, while we were watching the timer on the bomb, while we were waiting for Deatheater to report back that they were ready to move in.
The sounds of the first gun shots, muffled and dry, broke the silence. Pixy and I exchanged worried looks, filled with unkown anticipation. What had happened, the team wasnt supposed to move in yet. Then, on the Apocalypse frequency, we heard the voice of Kyoku screaming : Code Red, Code Red
Pixy yelled for me to remain in position, while she rushed to the rooftop door, running down the stairs. I looked about, not sure if I should hold position or help them. But my limited experience, had at least thought me to follow a direct order. Not doing so, usually resulted in more hazards than results. Guns were firing on the floor beneath me, I also heard the sound of a crashing window, sounds of a scuffle were making their way up to me. What was going on? My train of thoughts was broken up, when the rooftop access door crashed upon, to let in the Hellion leader and a male hostage, both of which looked terrified.
Stay back, hero, or I blow us all to kingdom come said the gang leader
Let him go said I, while slowly moving towards the hostage with an outstretched hand.
Our training included hostage crisis situation, and I was about to apply my manual to the letter, when a flurry of motion coming from behind distracted me. Deatheater came onto the scene, rushing the leader from behind. He kicked him in the ribs, sending him flying over the edge. Seeing the opportunity, I started a run towards the hostage, to tackle him down, for safety reasons. The hellion leader disappeared from sight, falling to the ground. Thats when the bomb exploded, thats when I felt the searing heat in my back, when the force of the exploding device, sent me and the hostage over the edge. What happened to Deatheater after this moment, I do not know.
The silence broke in, the falling sensation took over. In my semi-consciousness, I flipped myself over, to look up. I could see the man, screaming as he fell, following my descent. I knew I was in a bad shape, the heat from that explosion, and the shrapnel mustve injured me a great deal. The smell of charred skin filled my nostrils. More out of sensation than anything else, I knew the ground was coming to meet me, I knew I would crash onto the pavement, never to open my eyes again. But, what if, what if
Cavalier looked in astonishment, helpless to do anything but be a bystander. It had all happened so fast, he didnt even have time to bark an order to the recruits to fall back. The roof exploded, and he saw them falling, saw the recruit, what was his name, he couldnt recall, and he saw the hostage, both plummeting to the ground. No one would reach them in time, no one. When he saw the recruit, Akritar Bane, he now recalled, outstretch his hand, a mere twenty feet from the ground, he knew a hero was born.
As if reaching towards the falling hostage, Akritar Bane did the last thing he would do for anyone. Using what strength he had left, he called upon his control of gravity to hold the man that was about to hit the ground a second after him, long enough to stop his descent, long enough to save his life. The man was stalled in his fall, as if tripping over himself, stopping for a second or two, fifteen feet above the ground, then fell once more. He landed without ceremony, face first on the pavement. He would suffer from a few minor injuries, but would live to go home.
The emergency units moved in, to surround them. The man was still screaming from fright, unable to contain himself, unable to comprehend that he was still amongst the living. Next to him, motionless, broken, eyes open in an empty look, laid Akritar Bane. All attempts to revive him would prove useless, but were still done by EMT present there.
150 meters to ground
I am now looking further into this issue and the extent of the fix.