Project:- Reclaim (Talos Strike)

Thursday 18th December
Skyway City

The boy ran through the hallway, breathing hard as his cape dragged behind him and his wounded face left a trail of small red dots behind him. The creature behind him roared as it gave chase, stomping the tacks he’d thrown down as though they were Tic Tacs instead. The youth headed down a corridor and skidded to a halt. Four doors. All locked. He focussed and tried a telekinetic blast on a door. It didn’t budge. Not even slightly. The Ogre appeared at the end of the corridor. He pointed a finger. “You dead, hero. Maybe they patch you at hospital but they have to try hard!” He advanced towards the boy.

Ice spread around his feet, holding the Ogre in place as a Cryo pistol did its’ cold-hearted work. As he stared down at his feet, a third foot took out his legs at the knees and, without the ice keeping his feet locked in place, he would have gone down. So he was still upright for the roundhouse kick that ended the non-fight. The boy looked at his rescuer. “Th-th-thanks.” He said to the man in the army outfit.
“Don’t thank me.” Fortune Hunter replied. “I only saved you for the next one.” He looked at the boy. “What’s your name?”
“T-thoma…”
“NOT your REAL name!” Hunter interjected angrily. “I don't need to know that and you should NEVER tell it to someone you just met! Your licence name!”
“M-mental Empathy.” The boy stammered.
“Right.” Hunter remarked. “By the sound of it you have healing abilities and some minor psionics?” The boy nodded. “So what the HELL convinced you to try and take out a troll attack solo?” Hunter shouted. “God! Save us from people who fight like Rowan Atkinson and think they’re Chuck Norris! You got powers – however you got them – and ‘just wanted to help?’ The boy nodded again. Hunter closed in on him as the troll boss vanished. “And you didn’t, obviously, think that your healing powers would come in useful at hospitals where you could ease the pressure on three or more doctors AT A TIME? “ The boy recoiled and thought about sending a TK bolt at his new ‘attacker’. He decided against it as Hunter turned. “You’re just lucky I saw you come in here. If you want to continue in this business, Mental Empathy, you need to remember one thing.” He paused for effect. “You WILL get your skull fractured. You WILL get your ribs broken; you WILL break bones, tear muscles and puncture organs. If you want to survive in this business, find a group. Let the tough ones take the punches with the knowledge that you’ll keep them up. And study for something beyond. When you grow up you may want to do something else.” He walked to one of the locked doors and kicked it in.
“Th-that’s breaking and entering.” The boy stammered.
“You owe me.” Hunter replied, putting a shuriken into the security camera before making his way over to the safe in the corner. He placed a small, ashtray shaped, device on the table top and it’s top half he stuck to the lock mechanism. “Latest from R&D,” he said by way of explanation as the boy heard a small fizzing noise. He looked on in surprise as a segment of lock appeared on the dish and the door swung open. “I always like to know what Crey’s up to.” Hunter explained, “It’s never good.”
“B-but…”
“Good PR, kid. Good PR.” He looked at several of the folders. “Project: - Reclaim. Why do I not like that?” He opened the folder. There was little inside it except for a few blueprints. They looked technical. “Wild better see these.” He pulled out a handheld scanner and ran it over the pages, committing them to the devices memory. He closed the file after scanning and put it back in the safe. He closed the door and smiled. “I love this bit.” He said. That fizzing sound again. The device vanished from the ashtray. Hunter pulled the other half free. The safe was in one piece again. “You clear out now,” he advised the boy, “I’ll cover you.”
“C-can you train me?” The boy asked.
Hunter paused for a few seconds, recalling his childhood. “No.” He said bitterly. “I’m no trainer. You’ll find a group. Usually around Atlas or Galaxy.” He got in his car and drove off.

Prologue ends...

---

'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!

Friday 19th December
Somewhere else entirely.
The hooded figure ran along the torch-lit passageway, trying to flee the oncoming force. The two invaders were taking everything that could be thrown at them. Fire troops, Earth troops, mages and guides. All had confronted them. All were now broken and transported. He was not going the same way. He was… He felt the heat as the behemoth picked him up. It stared him full in the face, threatening to burn his face with it’s internal heat. “You run from two?” It asked, it’s voice booming off the walls. “Do you doubt the power of the circle? Our right to rebuild this world in our image? “ It pulled him closer. “For this you should suffer an eternity of ignominy.”
“And that begins with smelling your putrid breath?” Elizabeth Markham asked from a little way down the corridor. She had been wearing a jumper before coming down here but there were merely threads of that left now. Her shirt was likewise torn but her skin underneath was showing barely a mark. Her impervium enhanced bra was intact, though, as were her glasses. She beckoned him in. The behemoth threw the guide over his shoulder and Markham heard a crack as he landed badly. The creature roared and charged.

Markham broke his jaw with her first punch.

Galaxy City
The Warehouse.

Hunter found his mind drifting as he waited for Wild’s report on what he’d found yesterday. That boys’ comment had gotten under the skin . Can you train me? It was all he’d said. It was a desire to get better. To improve. To save lives. To leave childhood behind. It hadn’t been a choice he’d ever had, he realised. Forever with a different teacher, a different city as his parents moved around, driven to improve. Not improve themselves but improve him. Using their money to create someone who could fight like they never could and fight those they never would. He’d joined the army and found himself distant from them and able to temper their enthusiasm with the knowledge of how to REALLY fight, how to pick your battles and how to build things for the future. Now he was rich, having found the ‘Fortune’ he was ‘Hunting’ for. Sales of his book on heroing and the prices paid for it had sold well in Britain and BFPO shops. Here in the USA? Not so well as it competed with the better known heroes for shelf space. Ah, well.

Orenbega

“So,” Tygerboy asked warily as he rejoined the Captain who was holding the Behemoth up and slapping him around the face, “What’re we here for?”
“One’” {SLAP!} “Moment, Tyger.” She head butted the creature, dropped it and kicked it in the ribs before slapping a teleport tab on it. “To the M.A.G.I. cells with you.”
“Do M.A.G.I have cells?”
“Buggered if I know.” Markham shrugged. “Hope they don’t just sling them in the zig. Anyhow. You asked why we were here?” You remember about three years back, that time when someone managed to rob everyone of their powers?”
“Three years ago, Juniper and I were in the year 2055.” Tyger grunted. “Fighting a squirrel invasion force from space.”
“Oh.” Markham replied, utterly dumbfounded. She shook her head. “Anyway. Manticore and the Phalanx managed to get everyone their powers back by way of faith and magic. Two days ago, an Oranbegan got a message to a friend of mine…”
“Hang on,” Tyger interrupted. “Aren’t ALL Circle Oranbegans and vice versa?”
“No. Pay attention. The Oranbegans are from a world where the thorns are cuddly, puppy hugging, pacifists.”
“Oh.” Said Tyger, utterly dumbfounded.
“Anyway, he tells my contact that, if magic gave everyone their powers back, perhaps a SIMILAR spell exists that can grant permanent grafts of power to people en masse. Imagine the Thorns with an army of Statesman types. Our one advantage is that their library is so vast they don’t really have a clue what they have in here. So we’re on a bring and burn mission.”
“Bring and burn?”
“What we can’t bring out, we burn.”

Galaxy City

<I have those results you wanted.> Said the prancing pony on the screen. <And get your feet off the console!>
Hunter swung his feet off the console and onto the floor before he considered how stupid it was that he was taking orders from a 12 year old girl who hid her ID from unwanted hackers with a ‘prancing pony’ motif. “What’s the score?” He asked.
<1-0 to me, I think. Oh, the test results you mean?> Hunter knew she was smiling behind that Avatar. <Well, the blueprints are really interesting. It’s not so much what they’re doing but what they’re doing it to. I’ll show you.> The first blueprint came up on screen. It was a chip. Hunter knew that. It looked… well… chippy. <It’s a modified chip.> Wild advised him.
“Modified how?” He asked.
<Modified to resist EMP. Logical in this city. It regulates power supply. Several of the other blueprints contain chips that do other things. They’re all re-enforced too. Now we’ll play ‘can you guess what it is yet.> Several of the chips appeared on the screen, connected by lines and drawings as a 3-D image began to appear. It fleshed out into the chest piece of the armour worn by their Volt tanks. “Understandable.” Hunter mused. A second appeared. Hunter guessed it was a car. He guessed right. <Third one’ll get you.> Wild ventured. It appeared. The layout looked odd. Bizarre even. Hunter guessed it was a firearm. <Nope> It panned out a little. A Television? <Nope> Further. Hunter admitted he couldn’t guess. The picture pulled out to it’s furthest distance and Hunters’ brow creased as he looked at…
“A toaster?” He asked. “Are you being serious, Wild?”
The horse nodded. <It’s a $12 toaster. The chip costs $20. So the question becomes ‘why are Crey protecting their toasters against Electro-Magnetic Pulses?>
Hunter mused. “I think we should ask them, don’t you?”

---

'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!

Saturday 20th December
Galaxy City
The Warehouse.

“You realise this plan of yours is too risky?” Elisabeth Markham told Hunter. “You’ll be exposing yourself to great danger?”
Hunter shrugged and sipped his coffee. “If I didn’t want the danger, I’d probably take up knitting and stop throwing myself off rooftops. Besides, we’ve planned this now.”
Captain Markham walked around him to the console he was pointing at. The console with the schematic on it. The layout of the Founders Falls base. One of Crey’s flagship buildings. She turned the display off. “You need a bodyguard.” She pointed out. Hunter smiled.

Monday 22nd December
Founders Falls.

Snowfall glistened in the sky as it came down towards the ground in a seasonal display that delighted and worried people throughout the city. The young saw the chance for sledging, the elders saw the snowed in vehicles. People slipped and skidded and played and laughed and most of them avoided the ‘gifts’ that were strewn on the street and remembered the fear of years past when Jack Frost had frozen the water and plagued the land.

Hunter, currently decked out in a business suit, moved to one side as the children pushed past him, whooping and staring open mouthed at the Paragon Protector that was standing in the corner, seemingly watching everything. He walked over to the reception desk as an older woman tried to corral the children. “Bit noisy here.” He said to the receptionist in a lilting, welsh, accent. “Wasn’t quite expectin’ this.”
“School visit,” replied the large, blonde, woman behind the desk. Was she, Hunter considered, a Protector in mufti? She had the build. “Kids & teens. Christmas thing. And you are?”
Hunter looked taken aback, then realised. “Oh!” He pulled out a card. “Mark Reynolds, Reynolds exporting. Also Founder of Reynolds Electrical Systems in the UK.” He smiled. “Current boss heard I was here, arranged an appointment with a Miss Alexandra for 1000. Wants to establish…”
“Wait over there.” The Amazon pointed to a settee on the other side of the reception area. Hunter looked around. There was a nearer settee. He made for it. “They know where to pick you up from where you’re sitting.” The receptionist told him sternly. “Over there!” Hunter made his way over to the other settee, smiling at the children.

Outside, in the expensive car that had brought the Hunter to the base, Markham chafed inside her Chauffeurs outfit. This had not been what she had in mind. She pulled herself out of the vehicle and glowered at a Crey thug who was looking her way, her gaze somehow made harder by her glasses.

After the children had gone inside with a man in a blue suit, a lady approached, her shoes clacking on the red tile floor as she came. Black executive trousers, white shirt and a black jacket betrayed her managerial status to Hunter who was, not co-incidentally, wearing the male equivalent. “Mr Reynolds?” She asked, holding out a hand.
“Hmm?” Hunter replied. “Oh, yes.” He stood and shook the hand. “Very nice to meet you. Miss Alexandra, I take it?”
“Ms.” She corrected.
“Of course.” She headed back across the reception area. “You could have used this settee,” she said, “saved me walking.”
“I think I irritated your receptionist.” Hunter replied as Ms Alexandra swiped her card and opened the door. Hunter followed her through into the main area.

Five minutes later, they entered a small security office and Ms Alexandra gestured for Hunter to be seated on one side of the desk. “Drink?” She offered. Hunter declined. “So, what is it you think…” - she checked her sheets again – “Reynolds Electrical Systems can do for Crey?”
Hunter leaned in and kept an eye on the monitors on the wall. Kids being escorted, the car park and the hallways with people moving. “We can offer a manufacturing base in the UK and another in the Isle of Man which is, as you may know, a tax haven island. We have engineering contracts with a number of large scale manufacturing concerns and Donald is planning on branching out into home electricals.”
She looked him straight. “Crey is already taking steps to establish itself in the European market. A base there could be of use to us but dealing with management could be an issue, eh, Mr Hunter?” The door behind him opened and two large scale security guards entered. “Did you really think we were that stupid?” She asked, her voice sharper. “You raid our Skyway office under the guise of ‘helping’ a young hero and then think you can just walk in here?” One of the guards moved around behind Hunter whilst the other kept station by the door.
Hunter leaned back. “As you seem to ‘ave me at a disadvantage,“ Hunter replied, “Care to tell me what ‘Project Reclaim’ is?”
She smiled. “No.” She remarked sweetly. “It’s your turn to answer questions. What are you doing here?”
“I’d have thought that was obvious, luv.” Hunter’s smile faded to a hard gaze. “I’m giving you something to look at.” On cue the alarms went off.
<Intruder in the secure wing!> One of the guards’ radios stated. <All security needed! Possible hostile intent!>
Ms Alexandra looked confused, then angry. “Your friends won’t get anything from there!” She gestured for one of the guards to follow her as the other was made to remain. Hunter smiled as the door closed.

“Report!” Miss Alexandra barked at the researcher who had the intruder cornered. She looked at the ginger haired, callow youth and wondered what all the fuzz was about.
“Found him in the chemical labs.” The researcher commented. “Making smoke bombs.”
“For THIS you called a security alert?” She asked.
“He knew our security codes and, when he saw me, he took off like a rabbit. Figured I’d better call in back-up.” Alexandra nodded. “Security alert over.” She said into her radio. “One for the cells, I think.” She gestured to the remaining protector and the researcher. Take him.
“Wait.” The boy said, standing up. “There’s something you should know.”
Alexandra snorted. “And what’s that?” She asked. The boy threw a punch at the researcher. Somewhere midway between the start and the finish, the fist changed, sprouting orange and black fur as the fingers tapered off into small bone claws as black energy trailed behind it. The researcher took the blow full in the face and dropped. “I hit women.” Tyger replied. So saying he punched Alexandra and engaged the Protector, who was sprouting bone spurs. He felt his shirt rip as one of the poisoned spikes entered his shoulder. His punch landed solidly on the hidden mans’ chin. He felt like shouting his happiness as the alarms went off again.
Outside, the car moved off.

Three hours later .
A cafe in Talos

Hunter looked up from his latte as Tyger walked in and sat down. “You could have changed, you know?” He asked the pale looking youth.
“Fur attracts attention. Wish I didn’t have to use the ‘hospital plan’ route.” Tyger replied, seating himself. “I’ll have an Irish coffee.” He declared to the waitress. She glanced at Hunter. “He’ll have a coffee, hold the Irish.” Tyger grunted, and then relented as Hunter slipped a tiny bottle of Macallan across the table as soon as the waitresses back was turned. “Oh, and a lemonade for my sister.” Hunter remarked, drawing the waitress’s attention back as a young brunette entered the café. She looked around, sighted them and came over. “You get it?” Hunter asked.
“Benefit of being a shifter.” Wild Child replied happily. “They left me alone for a few minutes with those alarms going off. I know what it’s about. And why it needs stopping.”

---

'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!

Monday 22nd December
50 miles north of North Platte
Nebraska

The wind whipped lightly across the snow that had fallen to the north of Lincoln County, and across a single car that had parked to the side of Highway 83. Its occupants were no-where to be seen although an experienced tracker would probably have just caught the faint sight of boot-prints fading into the white as they headed westwards across the empty landscape.

“Why are we here?” The parka wearing Wolf Blade enquired, speaking into her headset.
“We’re here because of Crey.” Hunter replied.
“And they’re here because?”
“They own it.”
“Oh. All you said was meet us at North Platte regional.” She looked at the others, similarly attired as they were. “What’s going on?”
Markham filled her in.

Wild had discovered the full extent of Reclaim. Over the last few years Crey had begun losing its place at the pinnacle of technology, with other companies like Benedict tech and Mercator electrics chipping away at their stranglehold. Half of the products they made, Crey had discovered, were adaptations of things Crey themselves had made or the technology involved was similar. So Crey, in their usual ruthless way, had a plan to reclaim their throne. A simulated EMP burst over the city from high altitude and everything not protected against EMP is rendered useless. Technology rendered inert. Hospitals go dark. Pacemakers stop. Trains collide. Cars die. War walls drop and heroes fall from the sky.

“But that’s crazy!” Blade replied. “Everyone would know it was them!”
“Knowing and proving are two different things, Wolf.” Hunter replied. “And Crey have been smart. Got a call from an associate yesterday with the final piece of the puzzle. He found it in King’s Row.”
“Who?” Markham asked.
“Detective Daffyd Mason.”
Markham rolled her eyes behind her glasses. “That idiot’s here in Paragon?”
Hunter nodded. “Hero liaison. He hit a Freaks warehouse yesterday. On the trail of some who’d been doing ‘off-the-books’ work for Crey. Tech chapter. He found their payment. Hardened Electrics. This goes up, their enemies get fried, and they don’t. Then Crey blames them, sics the protectors on them and comes up looking just another victim with foresight.”
The group of four continued trudging up the slight incline.
“So, why are we HERE?” Blade repeated.
“Four years back, there was a missile silo under here.” Markham advised. “Crey bought it. Or, rather, one of their subsidiaries did. Seems a good place to launch from.”

Tygerboy, still wearing just his normal armour as he claimed he didn’t feel the cold, again volunteered to take to the air to search. Hunter turned him down on the grounds that he could be detected up there. “So how do we know where to go?” He asked.
“Satellites show cabins about a half mile ahead.” Hunter replied into his Fur-lined hood. “They’re where we’re headed.” He checked his compass again as he continued to crunch snow. Wolf Blade slipped slightly but kept herself upright. “M’okay.”
“Wasn’t asking.” Tyger remarked.
“God, I could go for a Brandy now.” Markham replied.

A half hour later, they came across the complex and dropped to the ground. A fence surrounding it with guard towers that hadn’t been in the satellite photos. “They’re new.” Markham remarked. “And kinda inconvenient. How do we get in?” Hunter considered things. “Distraction. Worked before. You and Tyger give me an’ Wolf thirty minutes to move to a different section then attack that Watchtower.”
“And the Fence?” She asked.
“Probably Electrified. Better you hit it before Tyger.” She smiled a frosty smile.

Hunter and Blade made their way around to the left, staying out of sight of the base at all times as they moved. Blade had gloves on her hands and her swords around the gloves. It wasn’t a feeling she liked, her connection to the swords broken. But, she considered, it was better than a PERMANENT connection to the swords. And, to think, this time yesterday she’d been in Hawaii. She’d even bought them presents. Then she’d had to hop a fight to Denver as only Denver served this frozen state’s airport regularly. Not the way she’d planned to end her holiday. And what WAS the deal with Markham and those glasses?

Hunter spent the time moving around thinking about Coffee and Mulled wine.

Tyger spent the time wondering about what he was supposed to get Juniper for Christmas and, far more worrying to him, what SHE was getting HIM for Christmas. He was dreading a repeat of the light blue, padded, battle armour she’d bought him last year. He’d had to wear it out for a week. Then he managed to slide it into a wardrobe. And, hopefully, out of sight was out of mind. What was it she’d wanted? Some sort of pony thing, wasn’t it? Never mind. He’d get it wrong again. She’d giggle.

Markham thought about punching Druids like she’d been doing last Christmas.
Ten minutes later, Markham charged the fence and grimaced as 50,000 volts flowed through her as the fence broke. It would take her a few minutes to recover and Tyger sped over her form as she lay, spread-eagle on the fence. She decided she'd make him pay for that later, as the furry young warrior assaulted the first three guards he saw. His shrouded right fist went in low on the first guard, shattering his left kneecap before Tyger brought his elbow straight back into the groin of the man behind him and striking out at the third with his left. Markham began pulling herself off the fence as the alarms began sounding.

Hunter and Blade watched most of the guards running across the complex. “Fly us over.” He asked Blade.
“You kidding?” The teenager asked. “You any idea how much you weigh?”
“Yes, but I’m not telling you.” He pressed a button. “Half gravity generator. Should make it easier.” She lifted him over the fence and dropped him. “You realise we’ll be on cameras?” She asked.
“Of course but then…” The rest of Hunter’s reply was cut off by the tannoy.
<<Emergency launch procedures initiated.>> The voice said Hunter stopped before he entered the main patch of ground. <<All forces to security zones.>> The ground shuddered and Hunter jumped back as the ground cracked and juddered. I silo lid opened itself against the snow. Without looking too far down, Hunter could see it was far larger than it should be for a normal missile. The nose tip also looked a lot like an Ariane 5 rocket. A further glance down showed a gantry. With three protectors looking back at them.
“Oh fu..” Once again, Hunter’s words were cut off by the tannoy. <<Launch in T Minus Five minutes.>> It warned.

---

'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!

The wind whips around him as he pushes down through the cold winter sky, heading forever downwards towards the ground far below. He wondered for a moment if he was going to pass out as he continued downwards. No? Hell with it, he thought. He’d bought the ticket so he may as well enjoy the ride.

Five minutes earlier.

Tyger waited until the Captain hit the fence before taking his run up. He decided that it’d be safer for the Captain if he didn’t hit super speed until after he’d crossed her back but, even so, he was close to it when he stamped on her. He turned towards the watchtower and accelerated as the alarms blared. There was, as usual, a slight incline then a straight wall to the observation post gantry. Why, he wondered, did they always put the slight inclines in? A straight 90 degree shift would make running up the side impossible but, with an incline…. Tyger was on the gantry before three seconds was out. He hit one of the two guards twenty times in a second and threw the second guard out down to the ground below as Markham pushed herself up to her feet.

Markham could hear boots. Many boots. And they were coming her way from the other side of the complex. Well, she thought as she smelt the burnt clothes she was wearing, it was about time. A fight was what she needed right now. She pushed herself up as a figure slammed into the ground and she heard the snap of his collarbone. Or was it his neck? She decided that she’d care later and charged the on-coming soldiers.

That, thought Wolf as the silo roof opened fully, is a f^cking big rocket. She saw the three protectors looking out at Hunter and decided that, as good as he was, three of the bumblebee-tighted bastards and the fifty of so other troops inside might be just a bit much for him to handle. She made a decision and plunged into the silo, her arms stretched sideways with her swords cutting to either side as she made her way to the lower gantry. She landed heavily as she always did when not wearing the winged boots and hopped into action as her healing ability got to work on the ankle she’d just sprained. Not optimum, she decided, when facing an armoured Crey protector. He extended his force field as Wolf attacked, bringing her blades in low at his servo joints. The field made her miss and her swords scratched furrows into his plating instead. He hit her on the back of the head and Wolf wished she’d been able to bring her helmet.

Hunter watched with bemusement as Wolf swept down through the protectors. Her blades opened one up across the stomach – looks like Paragon Protector don’t count as human he mused as he considered the limitations of the Ghost Rapiers - and knocked one off her feet. He took advantage of the situation and jumped down, landing on the stunned figure with his full weight. He rolled and pulled himself upright pulling himself into a combat ready position. He jumped at the others and scissor-kicked, his left leg connecting with the wounded protector, the other colliding with a researcher and half knocking him off the gantry. Hunter gasped as the other protector hit him from behind. He swept a foot low at his other opponent. He felt it connect as the other protector sprouted bones. Great, he thought. And smiled. Then he hit the bone weaver hard in the kidneys.
Didn’t know it could do that, Tyger thought as the guard post began descending back to the ground. <Four minutes to launch> The alarm said. Great. Several had made it past Markham who, he noted, was rather distracted. Ok. All the more for him then. He jumped from the ledge and landed heavily, displacing a cloud of snow as he cracked its’ surface with both his back paws and one of his front ones. He was crouched like a quarterback now and couldn’t resist a ‘Hutt!’ as he shoulder charged a patrol guard.

Markham had been blocking the troops from getting to the guard post and the ground around her was littered with the broken and bruised. The one that hadn’t fallen was a Crey Volt tank and he was giving pretty much as good as he was taking. This was a surprise to her. Perhaps they’d been upgraded? She was getting annoyed with this. Her backhand would have taken any trolls’ head off but, with this guy, it merely knocked him to the ground. He kicked out, catching her on the knee, before jumping back up and swinging a fist towards her head. She caught it and found herself almost struggling to stop its’ forward momentum. She grunted and twisted hard. The armour ruptured and Markham saw sparks. She growled. A friggin’ ROBOT! They were making battle-borgs now? Ok, time to up it a notch.

Down below, as the pre-launch reached three minutes, Wolf looked up defiantly at the Crey boss. Blood trickled from her nose and mouth and she examined her opponents’ wounds. She could see where the blades had sliced the armour and she could see her assault had staggered him. What staggered him more was what came next. A call from above of ‘Look out below’ and she rolled to one side as a bone wielding Paragon Protector landed hard on the Crey boss. She took the opportunity to put her blade through his neck joint. Must be a lot of psionic damage, she thought through gritted, bloodstained, teeth. Man, she had a headache. Time to get out of this room, she decided as the engines began to roar. She made for the door.

Hunter could see she was ok. Now for himself, he thought as the other Protector attacked again. An axe kick to the protector’s head kept him on the gantry way and just as deadly. Hunter jumped back as the Protector sprouted claws and swiped at him. The blades cut through the thick coat and scratched the knife-proof layer below. Hunter was thankful he’d not used those earlier and launched himself into the air, bringing his boot down into the protectors’ masked face. The thing hardly moved. Another slice, just missing. Hunter decided he couldn’t do this forever and focussed himself again, blurring his movement and speeding his reactions. He landed between the protector and the rocket and spun around to crane kick the protector clear across to the door. He fell through it. And the door shut as Hunter heard ignition below him.

“Time to run!” Tyger told Markham as he got across to her side. She was dismembering the robot tank with her bare hands now. The sounds of ignition were beginning to fill the air. Markham had to agree and the pair legged it towards the nearest building. Markham wondered why they were going there until she noted what Tyger must have seen. It was insulated with ceramic tiling and she re-protected the room by locking the door behind them. They watched through a porthole window as the rocket took off, moving slowly upwards, then accelerating. Tyger looked at Markham. “Was that..?” He asked.
She nodded. “Yup.” She said. “He’s on the f*cking nosecone!”

It had seemed such a good idea at the time, Hunter thought as he struggled to keep himself attached to the tip of the rocket, His hands gripping tightly onto one of the side plates and the half-grav unit assisting as best it could. Still felt like his arms were breaking though, he mused as he wondered how many G’s he could take. He could hardly move his legs, now, as they were so cold. Still, he had one hope left to stop this thing. If he could just move his arm without falling off. How high now? This had to be the last… No, he thought, not yet. He managed to pull one arm off the handhold and shouted silently as he felt the bone snap as it pinioned down to his side. Now, if he could just reach the pouches without losing his grip… He could hardly see now, all feelings going numb but he knew which pouch he needed and he could just… The thing was beginning to turn now. It had to be NOW! He opened the pouch and felt the top section slam into his body. He reached for the equipment within.

A few seconds later, he found himself in freefall, descending through the clouds as the rocket rocked to an explosion in its nosecone where Hunter had placed a handful of explosive Shurikens. He didn’t see it. He couldn’t feel much of anything now as he fell through the cover. His eyes wouldn’t close, he realised. They were ‘frozen’ open for now. He wasn’t passing out. Hell with it, he’d bought the ticket so he may as well enjoy the ride. If that red shape would get out of the way first…

Tyger watched as Hunter fell past him, then turned and flew down after him, as fast as he was able. Stopping him straight would have been murder for sure. Tyger knew the drill. Don’t stop them dead because their bones tend to move on, particularly the neck. Grab them and slow them gradually. Besides, he could get Hunter to the Hospital in North Platte for severe Hypothermia.

Three days later, Markham welcomed him back to the land of the living. “They blamed the Freaks as we thought, but they’re having to do a LOT of explaining about their facility and why they never made it official knowledge. They’ll spend a lot clearing it up. The rocket ended up in Storm Lake, Iowa.” Hunter tried to smile. He just about managed it.

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'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!

((So... .. Opinions?))

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'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!