OT 2016-2021

<I’m fine, Josh,> Vic answered as they moved up the winding stairs, it wasn’t just the normal two flights, four long flights between the two floors. And, in the strain he found himself applying pressure against the still mending wound on his stomach. As much as he hated being forced to bolster the supernatural healing to close it, he was still alive.

But next, he would need to survive all that was going on. The wound might’ve been patched and he felt his insides working as they should, but he also felt the weakness within. A sort of warning that wounds might open if they got too careless. At least the pressure applied by Root’s conjured vines and the pain relief of the medicinal plants gave him an extra layer of safety. Hopefully, whatever healing properties he’d been cursed with were still at work.

<I’m not sitting this one out> Vic thought back as they reached the door into the second level. Root tried to turn the knob a couple of times before he tried slamming his shoulder against it.

<Locked,> he reported.

<I’ll open it,> Vic suggested.

<Really?> Josh asked.

<Really,> Vic said as he stepped up to the door. He pressed what little water he had, barely a handful, up against the lock. He had it slip into every gap and corner, giving him a clear and simple image of the mechanism he was dealing with. It was a smaller version similar to the one on the barrack’s door. A simple metal lock forced into place by sets of gears, but with no keyhole or springs he could tamper with. There was also an electronic component, judging by the soft drumming of energy that his tactile water was detecting, something that always put Vic in an uneasy mindset. With what little water he had, trying to force it open would be impossible, if not risky if he tackled the wrong part.

So Vic did the same thing he did back then, focusing on key parts of the mechanism and unscrewing them out of place.

Before long, the electronic mechanism was disconnected from everything else, fortunately without electrocuting him. Once that was done, all he needed to do was move around the rest of the parts until the broken lock was retracted and the door was open. <There!> Vic said as he pushed the door open after about six or seven minutes. Probably much longer than the average–although that might be attributed to the lower amount of water he had, to the injury, or Josh and Root sharing part of his focus as they talked to each other.

<Alright, good job Vic,> Root said as he walked into the hallway, taking point.

<Any news on Raffina? Do we still have her?> Josh asked as they made their way down the corridor.

<I’ll try,> Root said as he peered around the corner with the wooden sword on his fist. <Raffina? Are you there?> Unlike normal conversations that felt like echoes and waves projected to those in the vicinity, this one felt directed, like shooting a beam. And it bounced back.

<Ah! I still hear you!> Raffina answered, her voice sounding distant yet clear. She was the fourth member of their team who had set off to take control of the security room.

<Good. It’s good to know that we’re still all connected,> Josh noted with relief.

<Alright. I’m about to be really busy, so don’t reach out to me, I’ll reach back if I have something to say,> Raffina told them.

<Alright…> All three guys conceded. And with that, there was only echo as she went silent.

<How far have you tested this power?> Root asked.

Vic answered. It kinda made him wonder if taking a telepath-oriented class in Whateley would’ve prepared him better–although considering there were more powerful projective telepaths in campus, he probably didn’t think he would need it. He just hoped he could handle this now.

Saturday, December 24th - 9:11pm
Silent Mountain Base - Level 1 - Kitchen - Raffina

<Alright…> Raffina thought to herself after hearing the guy’s response, leaving a pause in the air just to check if the guys had anything else to report. Nothing.

So far, it was all quiet, but she still felt a link in her mind that she could tap into to connect with them should she need to. And… honestly, after experiencing true silence for the first time, then ‘hearing’ the voice of her allies in her head, going back into complete absence of noise felt upsetting.

<Are you there?> she asked, though not tapping into that imaginary piece of string that connected them. So, naturally, she got no answer.

<Well… better start moving> she thought as she paced around the kitchen. With the lights turned off, the only light came from the phone in her hands, displaying a photo she had taken of the manual. Zooming in, she tried to trace a line between one point and another.

<So… it should be…> Raffina thought to herself as she took measured steps away from the wall. <About five meters away from the wall… about here.> She leapt onto the counter, resting her hand against the ceiling where she would make her entrance.

<Okay… I can do this…> she told herself. She was alone in this, this part hinged on her. This had been her plan so she needed to see it through. That, even if the people who took the place were adults with experience, she had a bit of an advantage with her powers.

She looked down at the only holdout she had with her: a wooden dagger made by Root’s magic. It was about the length of her forearm and incredibly thick so as to compensate for the unsharpened edge. She imagined that getting hit by it would be much worse than being struck by the spine of a really hard book.

<Better than nothing… But more than enough> She asserted, spinning the thing by the handle before she pressed her hand up against the ceiling. With a bit of concentration and focus, the energy she poured onto the surface created a pool of darkness that was like slipping through water at its densest or passing through the foggiest of nights at its lightest.

Tensing her legs, she jumped through and disappeared into the void. In this case, given that the distance between floors wasn’t a small one, she slipped through the usual world of mist and darkness that she’d grown used to since her first transformation. Between the strange tingling against her skin and the feeling of contact against her yet with the inability to grasp anything, it always made her feel as though she traveled through whatever this space was blindfolded… and yet oddly enough she had no fear of it. No small part of it was that her stay in this realm was short, with the way to the other side beckoning her.

Her hands reached the edges of her gap and she peeked her head out, ready to jump out to defend herself, but fortunately, she appeared safe for now. She wasn’t by any means alone, though, as just a couple of inches away from her, a set of boots nervously tapped on the floor, threatening to inch themselves closer against her in the next pivot… Raffina quickly slid out from the gap and out of the way before it happened.

Judging by the long table she was under and the amount of cables that appeared to be going through, she guessed that she’d made it to the right place: the Security room. It was a room small enough to be operated by one or two people, with the door resting at the left side of the room. A tight space for a fight, but Raffina felt she could manage.

No… her main concern was her opponent, with who-knew-what powers at his disposal. So far, from what she could see from the footwear and body shape, her guess was now towards baseline. But then, as he turned around, she spotted a belt just under his jacket’s coat.

<A techie…> she thought as she prepared her wooden knife.

Priorities defined, she moved quickly into action just as he moved closer. Her arms wrapped themselves around the man’s legs while her own feet gripped the base of the wheeled chair, yanking it away. Surprised, he had no way to react just before gravity did its thing in getting him to hit the ground.

Raffina was already sliding out of her hiding spot to press on the attack. Her aim was to swing the wooden knife down on the man’s head and knock him out. But his panicked reaction was accurate, pulling up his arm to block the couple of painful strikes. He appeared unwilling to let himself be knocked out.

Still, she didn’t let that stop her. Instead, she pushed the assault, driving her offhanded fist just above the man’s stomach to leave him without air, weakening the block. She was already raising her weapon for another attack that she was sure would be it–

And then, she felt her muscles spasm and twitch as an electric discharge coursed through her body, coming from the techie’s belt! One of his hands had managed to activate what could be guessed as a personal protection.

The tasing was short lived, lasting only like two seconds. But two seconds were all the man needed to recover himself and catch the girl’s wrists just before she could carry on with the attack. She wrestled and struggled to get out of it, but the man must’ve been fueled by adrenaline as his grip refused to let her go. to put them in an apparent stalemate.

But then again. That wouldn’t be how it went. Raffina let the man get a good look at her fanged grin.

They both could definitely feel it. That she was just slightly stronger than him and how, every second, he ceded just a little to her. His eyes widened in panic as he realized that she would eventually overpower him by a narrow margin.

So, he broke the tie by releasing his grip and letting her arms slip past, directing the wooden knife and fists against the ground, giving himself the opening to land a punch on her cheek. It hurt, but not a knockout punch. It left her briefly stunned, and as she reeled back, a kick pushed her back off him.

Still, Raffina wasn’t about to give him an opening. Instead, using the momentum and her springy legs, she leapt off, doing a backflip so she could bounce off the table and aim the falling attack back on the man just as he was scampering to get up.

Her aim was off, though. The wooden knife fell down and hit the man’s shoulder where his coat was at the thickest. Still, she refused to let him go, her foot gripping the man’s leg and pulling it back just as he had it in motion. An opportune time as it had him miss contact with the ground and slip, forcing him down prone.

<Got you!> Raffina crowed as she prepared to give him the lights out hit.

But then, without a warning, he turned around and threw an odd tube of metal and plastic to the side. It took Raffina a second to recognize it: the same flashbang grenade she’d used to fend off that brick woman. She only had one second to panic and another to take a step back before the thing went off, washing the room with light.

The last time she’d been flashed, she’d been expecting it and had prepared her body to brace through the shock. Now, she didn’t have the chance as the strong light pierced through her body and her eyes were left seeing pure blinding flash. She opened her mouth for a scream even if no sound was coming and she threw her body back, only to trip against the knocked-down chair. She hit the wall and slid down to the ground to make herself as small as possible, but not leaving herself open to anything. As she held out her knife swinging it around as a threat to what she could neither hear nor see.

Her powers depended on the darkness in the environment and, to get a sense of that, she had what the testers called nyctosensitive aura that hovered around her skin. She wasn’t sure if it was a real word, but in essence, it allowed her to perceive the darkness around just as easy as knowing something was hot or cold.

It being a sense also meant it could be overwhelmed and shocked by strong or sudden lights. Flashbangs had both, making her feel her entire body tingle like crazy, piercing through flesh and bone to leave her jittery.

<Shit! Shit!> She panicked as she entrenched herself. Her body reverted back to normal, but even as her skin changed still she felt the deep goosebumps afflicting her muscles.

She swung her smaller blade around for what felt like long hours, trying to fend off the attack. Eventually, though, the world began to return to her eyes, washed out with white, but still allowing her to see the state of things. The room was empty now. The man had fled the scene, leaving the door open behind him.

<He underestimated the way I would react to that…> Raffina frowned, hardly feeling like this was a win for her. Still, once she pushed herself up and stumbled her way to the door to close and lock it, she could, at least, consider her plan a success. She now had control of the security room.

<Fuck… I hated that.> Raffina blinked and covered her eyes whilst her other hand rubbed the skin of her arm to get the nerves to go away. Turning off the lights in the room also helped. <Glad the guy was a coward above all things…>

Once alone and having recovered enough, she leaned up against the computer, familiarizing herself with the system. There, the large camera setup was shared with the main screen to show an enlarged shot. A couple of toggles around, she found Root, Josh and Vic, making their way down the second floor level. Soon, they would find the VIP Lounge.

<There you all are…> Raffina muttered

A couple of switches later, she made it to the location marked as ‘supply room’. A small space filled with racks that had been cleaned off somewhere around the eviction… and in there, she happened to spot Leslie and Censer, just like she’d left them, with the latter trying to work his restraints against one of the dull corners of the shelves… with presumably little success. Still, it was good to know that he was ready to fight.

The next screen showed the VIP lounge, revealing the brick woman was still there, standing guard before the door they were trying to carve a hole on last time she was there… Raffina also happened to see the two henchmen crawl their way out of the hole they made, dragging out of it ingot after ingot of gold, putting them on a pallet that seemed to have some sort of anti-gravity device there.

<So they’re really stealing things…> She switched cameras to the main office, finding that the place was near to a quarter empty, when compared to the recording of a couple of hours ago. <They’re almost done…>

The next switch of the camera showed the hangar where a rather modest sized carrier aircraft was in the process of being loaded with the missing items from the office. It faced an open door, showing out the dark of the night sky and the heavy snow storm that had been building up since they entered. <And this must be their escape plan…>

Even with the weather as it was right now, Raffina had to consider that whatever aircrafts were kept in the base were designed to withstand it. So she needed to do something now.

Fortunately, her surprise didn’t allow the techie to close the programs he was using, and one of them was the base’s comptroller system: everything from lights to elevators to doors, even the hangar’s. With a couple of simple clicks and commands, the double gates on the side of the mountain began to close.

It was a victory that couldn’t be celebrated as, right after, a red window popped up before her, showing a timer.

<Oh crap!> Raffina thought as she urgently hit the abort button. Instead, she moved through camera views searching for her allies as she tugged the mental link to give them the urgent update.

Saturday, December 24th - 9:19pm
Silent Mountain Base - Level 2 - Hallway - Root

Vic, Josh and Root carried on with their trek towards the VIP lounge, carefully paying attention to their surroundings. The enemy had taken control of this place and they barely had any idea of how strong the opposing force was, outside from Raffina’s experience.

<Hey, Raffina told us she faced a brick… do you think we can deal with her?> Vic asked.

<Yeah…> Josh added, his hands clutching the blaster for comfort. <The whole making weapons out of wood is cool, but I think metal would be more useful. But even then, some exemplars can bend metal.>

Root admitted, though inwardly not sounding too afraid. <Although I’m more than willing to try. Just a couple of months ago, I was a regular in an underground fighting arena. There, I got to fight other mutants of different types, there was even a guy who fashioned himself the Mexican iron man.>

<Wow! Did you win a lot?> Josh asked.

Vic looked to the side where an elevator rested. The idea of getting in and riding it would’ve cut them some time, but if the control room has access to them, that might just spell trouble.

<What? You haven’t been in a fight at that school?> Josh blurted out as he opened the manual on the bookmarked map. According to it, they just needed to go a couple of intersections ahead, turn left for another couple of steps and then they would find the VIP lounge to their right.

<Oh. In Whateley there’s Basic Martial Arts… But, it’s just pitting students in hand to hand combat, at first without powers, then with powers. When it comes to powers. I rarely win.>

<Really? Why?>

<This,> Vic said, showing off his hand filled with water. <Leaving aside the whole spirit matter. I can only carry half a liter of water in a bottle or my belt at a time. That is barely enough to do anything. And, what about you? Think you can do anything against a brick?>

Josh thought for a second as he looked down on his blaster, turning it sideways to inspect it, turning some of the knobs and popping the cartridge in and out. <I hope I can… the problem is that this is a kinetic blaster, not meant to be lethal. I can add electricity to it for an extra punch… But if that guy could get up and run after getting hit by that shot, I don’t think this has the potency to deal with a brick. It might break the gun, but if I up the power intake and have the battery start to generate and stockpile power ahead of time.> His thoughts began to turn into a monologue as he tried to come up with alternatives to improve his weapon on the spot.

Vic muttered as they reached an intersection, the one where they were supposed to turn left. Root took point, immediately stepping checking the pathways pointing his wooden blade.

A mental gasp followed right after. <Contact!> He held the wooden sword at the ready while the other hand moved close to the seed bag.

Vic and Josh followed right after, turning around into the corridor just to see that there was someone at the end of the hallway. It wasn’t the same man that impersonated Vic earlier… So could he be one of the men cutting a hole in the door? Or someone else?

He didn’t look like a henchman, though. He stood at the end of the hallway, looking back at the three teens a good distance away. He’d only seen Root’s sword and assumed that he was safe at that distance, but it also made the encounter rather awkward as they stood far apart, glaring at each other.

And when Josh fully entered the line of sight, with the blaster in his hands, the man at the end of the hallway visibly frowned.

<What do we do?> Vic asked.

<We chase after, we might be falling for a trap. But if we don’t deal with him, he’ll still be there for us…> His mind poked towards Josh. <How many shots can you take?>

Josh hesitated as he raised his blaster.

The stranger frowned and tensed up watching as the barrel of the weapon was aimed at him, but didn’t act out of panic. Instead he still moved about confidently, removing his heavy jacket and tossing it at a side of the hallway. Underneath it, he only wore a simple tank top, with no additional piece of equipment or any weapon that could be concealed.

Josh pulled the trigger of his blaster, sending a beam just as the stranger took a step closer towards them. The impact landed squarely on the chest, sending him a couple of strides behind, but hardly taking him down. If anything that just got him mad, turning around to glare their way with his eyes appearing to glow as his arm swelled with muscle and grew hairier.

<That won’t be enough…> All three boys shared the same thought–but that was quickly replaced by an <Oh crap!> as the man’s body jerked and grew larger, now standing about two meters of height, with hair growing to cover every inch of him.

No, it wasn’t just hair… It was a fur pelt! The man was shifting into a creature as his face began to push forward into the makings of a muzzle, making the grin he wore before, all the more wicked and savage, especially as his teeth grew into fangs.

<Oh crap! That’s a werewolf!> Vic mentally called out.

<Wait! Those are real?> Josh blurted out as the man’s legs popped for a digitigrade stance as a tail flowed out behind him. He threw his head back for a silent howl, yet the sight of that was still a source of panic for everyone present.

<We have to get out!> Root urged.

The werewolf finished getting in fighting form and sprinted forth to cover the distance. Josh tried to open fire but it quickly dove under before continuing his rush.

Josh reported.

Root, in turn, reached into his pouch for a handful of seeds he quickly charged with mana and threw down into the path between the beast.

<Guys!> Raffina’s voice called out.

<Now’s not the time!> Vic called out as he prepared to run.

<This is really really urgent!> Raffina noted.

The werewolf drew ever closer until it passed near the glowing seeds where they explosively hatched, throwing their vines to the surroundings… that is until one touched his arm. The moment that happened, the rest gained life of their own and followed the example. Torso, arms, legs and even neck, effectively stopping the creature’s rampage before it could get to them.

<Wow…> Josh blurted out. <Do it again!>

<This trick takes a lot of mana… and seeds,> Root grumbled, his arm held up as the glow of energy kept on flowing towards his proxy restraints.

<What are you guys talking about?> Raffina whinged on her end. she blurted out.

<Apparently they’re real!> Josh snapped just as the creature sank its fangs into some vines and began to rip them apart.

<What’s going on, Raffina?> Vic asked cuttingly. <Cause we’re dealing with something right now…>

<Well, we have more to deal with.> Raffina scoffed. <I’ve taken the security room and… apparently, the invaders have rigged the generator with… the error report says a sort of feedback cascade loop. I don’t understand it but it says that there’ll be an explosive meltdown if we can’t stop it before the timer reaches zero… Which apparently goes down if I use more power. I’ve already cut the lights in the other levels but it’s still going down fast!”

<Can’t you shut it down?> Root asked, his strained voice came across as aggressive.

Raffina snapped. <Every time I’ve tried to shut it off manually, it asks me for a password…>

<Think he might’ve set that up to keep anyone from tampering with it,> Josh said.

<Ya think?> Raffina blurted out.

<How much time do we have?> Root asked. His focus was strained as the werewolf was starting to overcome the trap, having already freed an arm and working fast to tear the rest.

<The timer says about fifty minutes… but it’s going down at about two seconds per second,> Raffina reported.

<We’ll leave that for later! Josh! How’s that gun going!?> Root snapped.

<It’s charging!> Josh answered. <Won’t be fast enough.>

<No! We can’t leave this for later!> Raffina insisted.

<We’ll talk later!> Vic insisted hastily.

<Here it comes!> Root announced as he stopped supplying energy to the vines, letting the werewolf tear through them. <Run! I’ll try to draw and fight it!>

<Are you crazy?> Josh blurted out.

Root said as he produced another handful of seeds from his pouch and poured energy into it and the wooden sword in his hand. <I’ll be alright! Just run your way back. Raffina might find you another path!>

Josh didn’t need to be told a third time, especially as he got a good look of the werewolf, just a couple of strides away. A large hulking monster covered in fur, with large claws made to rend flesh, a golden glare that threatened harm and an open maw filled with foam and almost rabid foam that spilled out with every movement.

Vic followed his friend as they rounded back down the way they came through. <Root! Don't be a hero,> he projected as they ran.

<Shame I can’t be…> Root said as he readied himself for the fight, hoping that his trick would work. His offhand arm was now covered with a thick wrapping of vines and bark that he hoped would be enough to stop a werewolf bite, while the sword on his hand had grown larger and thicker, more deformed and visceral, resembling a crude club with jagged bumps onto its surface.

<Come here!> Root snarled–or at least tried to look as he was. Fortunately, the werewolf didn’t need much incentive to push the attack as it lunged forth swinging its claws thrice onto its prey, capping the combo with a furious bite snap that, had Root not been backing away since the first swing, would’ve found its place around his neck.

Root’s heart trembled at the sight of the creature, wondering what he was even doing since Vic and Josh left. He slipped away from every attack, feeling the slice through the air and the splatter of the thing’s drool as it missed its bite. This was a monster…

But then again, he had no other choice. Either he faced this thing and survived, or he died mauled or by explosion. It was a clear gamble, like everything. He had survived the streets. He had survived the wood dryads. He had been through hunger and faintness. If he was going to free himself from Vince’s influence before he decided to put a brand on him, either he would overcome this monster or die trying.

With the resolve strengthening his heart, he attacked. Every swing he did carried weight that added to the power, but also slowed him down in the windup. Eventually, the wolf wised up and tried to land a clawing strike on Root, and yet that’s what the protection on his other arm was for. The strike was like being hit by a cinder block hammer with the bark cover cracking and the claws reaching the vines that had wrapped around his arm.

But that was the ploy as the engorged vines splashed out a thick liquid that smelled deeply putrid!

It was so pungent, the werewolf picked up on it right away. His nose wrinkled and the muscles around his muzzle contorted to form a half snarl, as if trying to warn Root about not using it again.

<That’s a loser’s plea,> Root thought as he swung the larger wooden sword. This time, he actually managed to make contact with the furred arm that rose to meet it–and when it did, the blunt surface of the weapon suddenly burst out into spikes and splinters that were coated with the same substance.

The werewolf realized it just a moment too late as Root threw his body back to pull the weapon, with the spikes and splinters shaving through the fur of the arm until reaching the skin.

With no sound, Root could only imagine the whimpers and snarls his opponent was giving him as he staggered back. The eyes of the beast were fixated on the boy, promising he would regret it.

But as far Root could tell, that was an empty promise as, no matter what his eyes warned, his body had backed away to the intersection and there was no avenue for either to flank the other.

<Come on!> Root thought as he held up his large serrated club, as wolfsbane extract flowed from the growing cracks on the weapon. This was probably one of the things that was really draining him. He hoped he would still have some energy left for the rest of the evening.

Root took a step forward, and the werewolf took another one back. He was on the defensive, no longer wanting to engage with the boy that had a poisonous weapon… And so, his head turned down the outer side of the corridor, the one Vic and Root ran into.

<Oh no! You won’t!> Root gasped.

But it was too late, as the werewolf had already sprinted down the corridor following the two boys’ tracks. He would’ve tried to follow but the weapon on his hands was already too heavy to let him go after. Furthermore, he felt himself unable to keep on feeding the state of his weapons for much longer.

<Shit!> Root cursed as he regained the mana he fed into his own protections, letting the constructs wither and crumble at an accelerated pace. He reached out for the lingering mental connection with the guys and called out. <It’s going after you! I tried to hold him off but I scared him away! He’s chasing after you now!>

<We’ll be fine,> Vic said.

<We will?> Josh asked.

<What other choice do we have, Josh!?> Vic snapped back. <Have Root chase after a werewolf? I don’t think hiding even works!>

<I’ll keep an eye on them,> Raffina said, just to let them know that she was still connected.

<Yeah… Root, you continue to the lounge and get Leslie!> Vic urged.

<Okay…> Root conceded as he finished getting rid of the remains of his armor before checking the bag that hung from his waist. Now barely holding anything. Prodding it, he might have about half a dozen seeds left…

<This doesn’t bode well… but best carry on…> Root told himself as he used one to fashion himself another wooden sword before continuing on, with all the cautiousness that loose enemies in the base warranted.

Saturday, December 24th - 9:26pm
Silent Mountain Base - Level 2 - Hallway - Vic

<Where is he, Raffina? Behind us?> Vic urged. Both him and Josh were constantly looking over their shoulders every five steps just to be sure the werewolf wasn’t gaining on them.

<Hm… I see him taking a different route…> Raffina reported. <But he’s gaining on you… He’s about to flank you, on your left!>

<Turn right!> Vic urged as they both did, but not without getting a good look at the end of the corridor, the large brown figure of the creature could be seen making the turn and sprinting down the path to follow them! <He’s going for it!> Vic urged.

<I’m on it!> Josh answered as he spun around and held up his blaster. <Take this you rabid dog!> He actually said it despite his mouth producing no sound, just for the sake of style.

Still, Josh’s weapon was nothing to scoff at as, at the pull of the trigger, the blaster’s muzzle flashed out bright and blue, practically exploding with electricity. Vic held his breath as the beam crossed the hallway until it met up with the werewolf’s chest for the mule kick shot that he’d seen before–only charged with so much energy that the thing’s body appeared to glow once the nearby lightbulbs fizzled out.

But the werewolf had yet to go down. He had been halted, forced down to his knees, his body twitched with flashes of electricity still slipping out and yet he didn’t appear out for the count. <Good job, Josh… think another one can knock him out?> Vic asked… although seeing the white smoke that came out of the gun’s barrel already had him predicting the next answer.

Josh blurted out, panic starting to creep into his thoughts.

<He’s still getting up!> Vic blurted out before reaching for the connection with Raffina. <We need help!>

The werewolf began to stand up, his body tensing as it tried to shrug off the discharge. Despite being wounded, he looked very pissed off.

<Are you sure?> Vic thought back, but neither him nor Josh dared to wait for an answer, instead just sprinted away. They didn’t even dare to look back and slow their strides. They were about 99% certain the werewolf was chasing after them.

<Just do it!> Raffina hissed.

<There it is!> Josh called out. Effectively, in the middle of the hallway was the elevator they passed on their way there, with both doors open, beckoning them to run in, even if it was just a box… a dead end in which they might end up getting mauled if the time was off. <Fuck! I don’t know how much time we have!>

<Just run!> Vic urged as he tried to tense the water glove around his hand. The only means of defense he had, even if it was nothing that could stop a huge monster.

They slipped into the elevator, Josh in first, slamming his hand against the buttons, as if that would do something. Vic rushed in right after, immediately turning around raising up his hand with what little offensive power they had, awaiting for the wolf to show himself.

Both of them let out a sigh of relief as the doors began to close at a speed that was surprisingly fast for elevator doors–but not fast enough, as every moment stretched itself for hours with the way their hearts were beating. First, they saw movement of the lights in the vicinity, and then the brown fur of the werewolf.

Josh and Vic jumped, pressing themselves together as they screamed, which was fortunately still rendered mute by the field effect of the base. The large furred form was just outside just as the gap closed.

To that, Vic was quick to reach out and punch the button for the floor below, desperately trying to get them away… but nothing happened. <It’s not working!> Vic said.

<Yeah,> Raffina answered. And just as she sent that message, Josh tugged Vic’s hand, pointing towards the door as it subtly rattled before quivering softly. <Shoot! He’s trying to brute force it… I’ll have the two of you go down.>

<Do it!> Josh urged.

There was a brief moment of waiting… of course, brief was relative, where the two stood with their backs against the wall, staring up at the doors to see what would happen. Josh grabbed both the manual and gun as if they were weapons, with Vic holding up the glove of water as a precaution.

Fortunately, soon they felt the inertia on their bodies as they were pulled downward. Both of them took a sigh of relief.

<Thanks,> Josh muttered.

<Yeah,> Vic agreed as he took a deep breath.

<Don’t thank me yet! Remember what I said about the place being rigged to have a meltdown!?> Raffina snapped.

<Right… you said a feedback cascade loop, right?> Josh asked.

<That’s what I read. I didn’t know the rest of the terms.>

<Think you can work it out, Josh?> Vic asked, as he fell against the wall, as he felt the lights flicker and the world spin for a moment–only that it was him doing it.

He felt a metaphorical stab in his brain as Raffina’s link reached out to also address Root’s, both of which were growing further and further apart as the elevator went down. At that moment, he felt the water from his hand spill onto the floor. <I’m taking Josh and Vic down to the basement so they can sort out what’s going on with the generator,> she informed all the connected members.

The elevator eventually stopped and the doors opened up to reveal the basement level of the Silent Mountain lair. As opposed to the rather clean and wide rooms and corridors above, the place underneath had an extremely industrial style to it. The surfaces were of either concrete or carved stone, only illuminated by a low power red light. Gratings rested on the sides as well as barrels with rocks and mining equipment that Josh took notice of.

<Any chance we can use any mining equipment like weapons?> Raffina asked.

<Josh! Focus. Can you work fix the generator?> Root asked, getting Vic dizzy enough to force him to stop and crouch, just a step out of the elevator.

<Well… It’s fortunate that Junkerer taught me all I needed to know about the generator’s maintenance, huh?”> Josh said, only to turn around to look at his friend. <Shit! Vic! You look terrible…. You’re bleeding.>

<Huh?> Vic blinked as he put his hand against a nostril only to see blood on his skin as he took it out. <Crap.>

<Are you okay?> Root asked.

<It’s coming from the nose.> Josh described.

<No… I just think that my powers are somewhat strained this way, with Root and Raffina being so far now… keeping the connection is starting to cause some headaches,> Vic grumbled.

<Then we have to cut the link,> Josh blurted out.

<What?> Raffina blurted out.

<Might be for the best…> Root agreed. <Vic, do you think the connection will still be there if we get within range again?>

Vic admitted. <Truth be told, I haven’t trained this power as much as the other.> He took a pause to steady himself. <If you want to say something, say it now. We’ll try to get back at you as soon as we solve the matter of the reactor.>

Raffina chimed in.

<There should probably be a console next to the reactor,> Josh noted.

<Good,> she answered. <I’ll try to keep the intruders from escaping.>

<Before that, tell me if the werewolf is still on the second level,> Root asked.

Raffina reported.

<Root,> Vic said. <Try to free Leslie. Hopefully she can manage this better than I can.>

Root noted.

<Alright. I’m going to shut the connections now…> Vic informed.

<Stay safe,> Root said.

<Good, we’ll talk to you later,> Josh told them.

Vic took a deep breath and slammed the door on the distant connections. And just like that, the burden and tension keeping those connections suddenly eased up at once.

<I’m feeling better…> Vic sighed as the last remnants of the induced vertigo and the headache faded away.

<Are you sure you should still be talking to me?> Josh asked, offering his hand..

<This I can manage,> Vic said, accepting his friend’s hand as he was pulled back up on his feet. <I’ve never felt like that before…> He rubbed the blood off on his uniform.

Josh produced the base's manual and opened it on the map, tracing their location.

Vic said as he took a breath as, relishing in the gone pressure. <So far I haven’t really had classes in telepathy. Didn’t think I would need it while my other power seemed to be more relevant.> There was also a matter of lingering feelings whenever a connection went silent, making him feel like it would still be there within his reach, even some time after. But he couldn’t say for certain if this was something that was worth bringing into the equation as he had the feeling that he could be wrong about it.

<This way,> Josh said, pointing down one of the tunnels.

<After you…> Seeing the dark of the pathway, Vic instinctively reached down into his jacket’s pocket for his phone, only to remember that the power mimic had stolen it from him after the stabbing. It was just a little frustration, a reminder of his grudge. <Pendejo de mier…>

<Everything okay?> Josh asked as he led the way at redoubled pace, with a light from his phone clearing the path.

<Sorry, that slipped out…> Vic sighed as he kept up.

<We’re not going to let them go,> Josh assured.

<Not at all…> Vic agreed.

Before long, they reached a pair of double doors that opened smoothly as they reached them, giving full access to their destination.

Unlike the rest of the basement level that still appeared under construction, the generator room had clearly been amongst the first spaces built within the base, sharing several design aspects with the upper levels such as the white tiles on the floors and the blue thresholds around the doors. The space was large with a high ceiling filled with organized tubes and wires that presumably fed water, energy, and air to every corner of the base. A space had been neatly divided, leaving some consoles on the side for direct control of the pipework flow while to the side there was a workshop cluttered with several pieces of gear and equipment that Vic couldn’t recognize but Josh appeared quite keen on.

<Oh! Those are some advanced tools… That’s an ionic converter. And that over there is a grade-three spike dampener! That’s a high output battery!> Josh listed out, slowing himself down as he spied the pieces.

<Josh! Focus!> Vic called out, just a couple of steps ahead. <That’s the generator, right?>

<What? Oh right!> Josh said, focusing. <Yeah… that is it!>

Vic muttered as they stopped before a large machine halfway embedded against the wall with cables flowing upwards to the ceiling. It looked like what one might expect when asked to imagine a sci-fi reactor.

<What do we do?> Vic was feeling completely lost.

<Well… um…> Josh said as he walked around the thing, admiring the form and structure.

<Josh! Snap out of it!> Vic yelled.

<Sorry. I was just realizing how much Junkerer scaled down the thing for the training.> Josh’s mental voice trailed off.

<Sure, sure. Junkerer walked me through the process to diagnose and maintain the thing…> Josh moved onto the console that rested next to the generator. A couple of taps and the screen sprung to life, showing a red message with a timer that was counting backwards from twenty seven minutes at three times the speed. <Oh crap…> Josh muttered as he opened windows, revealing diagrams of the machine and log reports.

<No, it’s not.> Josh pointed to the side, where a large piece of machinery appeared at work, plugged to the reactor through two large cables with a metallic rim that carried its own intricate locking mechanism. <That there is the problem.>

<What is it?> Vic asked.

<That is a high output backup generator, used to jumpstart the system by injecting a jolt of power. And it’s currently taking and giving power to the main one. The problem is that someone has set this so that it’s powering the connectors and buffers, making every energy transfer or output lead to it overheating. Once that happens, it will spiral out of control until there’s a big boom.> Josh hastened up his explanation as he saw the timer ticking away. <And according to that, it’s going to happen in under twenty minutes!>

<Can’t you turn it off from there?>

<I’m trying, but someone has damaged the regulators of the thing, it’s not responding to computer commands.> Josh muttered to himself in panic as he paced back and forth, flipping the pages of the manual in search for a hint. <We won’t have enough time to evacuate–heck, taking the big elevator down would definitely be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.>

<Then what?! I’m not dying!> Vic frowned as he looked over at the troublesome machine, tentatively touching it to feel the heat it was exuding. <This might be stupid… but what if we break it?>

<We break it? Apart?> Josh moved around, studying the large contraption, looking around its panels, finding them all screwed tightly shut while mumbling about the parts he could identify now that he’d found the page on the manual regarding the equipment in the generator room, right at the end of the book. <That’s the charger… the electrical safety… the lithium manganese container… I think I got it. I think I know how to take it apart.> He was running over to the side to grab an abandoned toolbox from the maintenance area..

<First, we need to decouple the extra energy capacitor this thing has. That should buy us some time.> Josh pointed at a panel around the back. <It should also keep us from getting electrocuted when we forcefully decouple the thing.>

<We?!> Vic blurted out.

Josh said.

<Yes, you can.>

Josh insisted as he grabbed a screwdriver and began to undo one of the panels at the back. <Normally to do this, I would need to roll this thing over to a car lift and use a special type of tool to unscrew it! Not to mention that the cable’s locking mechanism is also broken.>

<Josh! This is the equivalent to me sticking my finger into a light socket!> That was probably the first big fear he’d developed regarding his powers.

<It won’t be if you’re careful… probably.> Josh shook his head for the slip of the mental tongue. <It’ll be safe. Plus, your powers made you the best mechanic I ever knew.>

<But I can’t know what I’m supposed to do.> Vic knew this was a losing battle–specially when it was that or dying–but…

<Fine! Fine! I’m doing it!> Vic cursed before pointing accusingly. <But we’re doing this together. I’m not the only one who will be at risk of getting electrocuted.>

Once again, insecurity crept into the forefront of Jeff’s mind. <Just hurry! The timer says we’re in minute twenty-one… but that’s less than ten minutes.>

Vic looked around. Fortunately, near one of the exits, there was a bathroom sign. <I’ll be right back!> he said, leaving the room at a redoubled step.

<Alright!> Josh said as he got to work unscrewing the selected panel.

<This is insane!> Vic thought to himself in running steps. The idea of sticking water into a power battery was as terrifying as it could be. The night just didn’t seem to ease up on him. From being stabbed in the stomach, to fighting his doppelganger, to being chased by a werewolf and now this… He wasn’t going to ask ‘what next?’ because it would probably be an invitation for it to happen.

Saturday, December 24th - 9:40pm
Silent Mountain Base - Level 2 - VIP Lounge - Root

<I’m in…> Root thought to himself. The link with Vic had been cut off for the past five minutes, but he found some comfort in using his mental voice as a replacement for the one that had been silenced.

The VIP lounge was as Raffina had described in her recounting of her fight with the brick. The remains of a fight with the cushions and seats had been thrown about, the shelf that had been knocked over to allow her escape. By the wall was what Root guessed was the silence inducing machine, still at work. And just a little bit ahead was the glazed box with the frozen Lightning, the syndicate enforcer that was supposed to test their mettle.

<Now I just have to figure out how…> Root thought to himself as he squeezed the grip of his wooden weapon as he stepped into the rest of the room. There was no hiding spot. No way he couldn’t have been seen. Standing at the center of the room was a tall statuesque brunette woman that looked down at him with a confident smirk–the same one as Raffina’s mental snapshot. <…to make it through this.>

“Someone strong enough that it felt like I was kicking a rock…” had been her warning which didn’t bode well for Root.

Having clocked him since he first stepped foot in the room, the woman assumed a fighting position. She looked prepared to chase after Root if he were to back away or slip into the other corridor. But as he stepped forward with no seeming intention to flee, she allowed him.

<Either she’s wary of me, or just wants me to get as close to her as I dare, since we both know I can’t match her strength,> Root thought. Still, he used the chance to pick up on extra details. The first and foremost was the door that led into the First Office, the one that according to Raffina they had been trying to cut through. Now, there was a completed hole, and the tools had been left abandoned at the side: a modified welding torch and a couple of masks. A couple of strides away was Censer’s weapon, the silver ball and chain he recognized from their mission in Concord, sitting in the back corner of the room. It was resting next to the wall that, according to the map, held the doors to both the boss’s chambers and the supply room, where Leslie and Censer were trapped.

<How am I going to do this?> Root thought-talked to himself. His mind cast back to his encounters with Hacron in the Gallera fighting ring. The big brute relished in showcasing his strength over others and never even once allowed Root to get the upper hand. Just the memory of that got his hand trembling for a moment.

<But this woman isn’t Hacron. And previous flaws are chances to learn.> Root recalled Cole’s lessons as he assumed the fighting stance he showed him. Standing upright, with one arm outstretched with his wooden sword pointing ahead, and the other hiding behind his back. A duelist stance… How could one use it? He wasn’t sure. It just felt like folly. But that was what Cole recommended to him.

He tensed and prepared to deliver the first attack when something caught his attention. Out of the hole on the door exited the feet of one of the men– presumably one of the henchmen that had been doing the tedious job of carving the thing. The man scooched his way out, holding the side of a framed painting that squeezed through the gap. Seeing the woman and Root in the room, he froze like he’d stepped in the middle of an awkward conversation.

Root’s stare must’ve pointed the crew out to the woman. With a snap of her fingers, she told the henchman to stop gawking, and then pointed him to leave the room. Through sign language, the message was conveyed to the other person in the back, and the two began to work fast–even faster as Root jumped in, swinging the sword at the woman’s head.

This didn’t come as a surprise to the woman. The moment the henchman’s arm was halfway up, pointing, she had already raised her arm to catch the blow.

Raffina wasn’t wrong. The woman was as tough as a boulder, catching the strike and breaking the tip of the wooden sword in the process, but Root could clearly see a wince in her eyes. She did feel that impact–enough for the backswing hit and a thrust that drove the splintered end up into her stomach to break against the abs of granite.

Unsurprisingly, there was damage, but it only inconvenienced the woman enough to get her angry. She tried to grab the wooden weapon, forcing Root to jump back.

With two long strides between them, Root resumed the neutral stance, letting her watch as he used his magic to regrow the broken tip of his weapon. The splintered and jagged remains adjusted into spikes. It was all for show, though, as he was already reaching the limit of his reserves. He’d only be able to pull off a couple more tricks from there on.

He flicked the tip of the sword to goad the woman and, fortunately, it worked. She immediately charged forward, angrily swinging her fists down on him. She was faster than Hacron, though, as Root begrudgingly realized when her first punch came in faster than he expected. It forced him to break stance to block the hit. It hurt like hell, but fortunately, the bundle of vines cultivated on his offhand arm lessened the blow.

Quickly recovering, Root dove under the next swing and kept on backing away, using the offhand actively to block and even attack as he revealed a wooden shiv, sharpened by magic enough to draw blood off the woman’s arm.

She wasn’t happy about that. The next kick would’ve done some serious damage at the end of the attack if it had connected, but it forced them to separate once more.

By then, the two goons had already made a hasty exit from the VIP lounge, carrying with them two pieces of art, but they had left behind the equipment they used. The blowtorch was a tempting option to use against his opponent.

And the brick woman seemed to read his intentions as she pushed on the attack once again. She forced Root up against the wall, ducking just in time for her fist to go wide and smash the door to the supply closet open.

Root ducked under the next attack and instead swung the offhand against the woman. he flowers that grew along the vines blossomed to release so much yellow pollen into the air around the woman’s face.

He hoped for an allergy attack. Whether a strong or weak reaction, all he needed was for her eyes to close away. A couple of blind, violent sneezes were more than what he could have ever prayed for.

While her eyes were away, he sent the sharp knife skidding across the floor into the supply closet.

<Yes!> Root blurted out as he held his position. <Please, hurry,> he muttered as he pointed his weapon against the amazon. She was trying to recover, getting the pollen off her eyes and swinging her arm aggressively in preparation for Root’s next attack.

Fortunately, he was just stalling for time. Especially as he checked his seed pouch, he’d only managed to scrounge the three seeds he had left.

Eventually, the woman recovered and looked at Root with red, irritated eyes before charging at him. She wasn’t holding back or holding any sort of composure. Her hand crunched the pieces of the coffee table and sent them flying after Root, flying his way in the form of destructive shrapnel that did a number on the light protection he wore. It cut and even stabbed through the fabric.

The woman had already closed the distance and with an open palm she pressed Root against the wall. Her other fist was closed and ready to use.

And that’s when a silver object flew from the side, meeting the side of her head with what should’ve been a really painful sounding clang.

It was enough to let Root slip out of her grasp and stagger out, feeling a large wooden splinter embedded in his leg.

Censer reeled back his signature weapon from the meteoric strike, only to send it out again. The next slam was aimed for the woman’s stomach, but missed.

The brick’s eyes met those of her former prisoner. Root was down on the ground with injuries, and easily dismissed when there was a true opponent at hand. She hardly looked amused, holding the side of her head to get the non-silenced ringing within to stop.

Censer, in turn, swung his chain back and forth, ready to start off with the attack. He looked just as pissed as she was. When he raised up his middle finger to the woman, that was enough for her to charge first.

Rather than throw the ball head-first as the woman expected, he instead threw it down to the ground and opened with a kick from his steel tipped boots that sent the ball flying up just above the woman’s groin. The squared hit was just enough to make her slow her steps.

The round hammer was already pulled back and, with a spin, it was sent on a collision course against the woman’s head again. She raised her hand to catch it but, just by putting his hand on the chain, Censer managed to reel the thing back and redirect it for another smash she couldn’t catch.

She wasn’t about to go down easy, though. With a final rush, the woman lunged to catch Censer, only for him to guide his weapon down for a low sweeping spin that connected harshly against her ankle, sending her stumbling forward.

Censer was two steps in and under her guard before she could recover her footing and found her step impeded by a chain. She hit the ground with such force that Root felt the vibrations on the floor under him as he tried to get closer.

The Syndicate operative didn’t give the woman a chance to get up. Quickly, he climbed up on her back and put his knee into the small of her back out of her arm’s range. Then he was wrapping the chain around her neck and pulling.

Realizing what was happening, the woman reached for the chain to keep it from tightening in, and Censer just threw more of his back into the action. It was a gruesome display as both of them were furiously trying to overcome the other. But the brick, in the position she was in, couldn’t get back up or ignore the growing strangulation, while Censer was in the same position, unable to break, unable to get her to pass out as long as her fingers were creating space for her to narrowly breathe.

It carried on for so long that the chain could only snap from the pressure. Censer tottered back from the inertia but managed to remain on the woman, immediately driving the silver sphere down against the woman’s head only to miss. Instead, he threw his weight down against her neck, hoping he would keep her from getting back up.

Still, they both knew that it would only take her a couple of pushes before she could get enough space to throw her arm back in a knockout punch against her attacker. And that’s when Root stumbled into the fray. In his hands, he carried a bundle of plants that now smoldered thanks to the forgotten blowtorch that he held in his other hand. Seeing how the young man was covering his nose, it gave Censer a clear picture of what was up.

Holding out his hand towards the smoke, the mercenary made it grow denser, more opaque. And with his fingers pointing the way, it slithered after like a snake in the air. Moving faster than the brick woman could react, it lingered about her face until it found its passage into her nostrils.

The effect was near-instantaneous. The woman’s eyes rolled and she passed out, hitting her head against the marble as her body went limp.

Both operatives took a breather, albeit a quick one. Censer took a quick mournful look at the broken chain before using the remnants to tie the woman’s wrists behind her back.

Root’s rest was briefer. He drained the mana from his conjured plants, letting them disintegrate to stop the noxious smoke. Quickly yanking out the huge splinter that had embedded itself in his leg, he stumbled his way towards the supply room.

<Leslie!> Root sighed with relief as he saw the girl sitting up against the wall, her arms behind her back with rope bindings around her torso, legs and mouth. She was completely terrified by what had happened, but she perked with hope as she saw her team leader.

The lights suddenly turned on and she reeled back, showing the wet marks of tears that had streaked down her cheeks. He lost no time in reaching for the controls on the side of the the telepathic inhibitor she was still wearing from earlier in the day.<Can you hear me?> he asked.

<Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!> Leslie’s panicked voice came right into his mind. <Wh-what’s happening? That Lightning was an impostor! They drugged me and the next thing I knew I was trapped here! What’s going on? Why can’t I hear anything?>

<It’s the sound device,> Root explained as he looked around to find a pile of sliced ropes that had been used to bind Censer, and among those pieces was the wooden knife he had created.

<What’s going on? Where are the others?>

<There’s a lot we have to go through.> Root took a deep mental breath as he used the knife to selectively cut the ropes around her arms. <But the short version is… the base has been taken over by some criminals and we’re trying to stop them. We need you to create a mental link for us.>

Leslie’s eyes widened. <A mental link? I… I don’t know if I can.>

<We need to coordinate. So far, we’ve been using Vic as the coordinator, but after he and Josh went down to the basement to handle some really serious matters about the generator having a meltdown… oops.> Root caught himself just a little too late as he could see Leslie’s eyes widen in concern. <They’ll handle it. But because of the distance the connection became too taxing for him. He told us that you could probably do it.>

<I… I’ll try…> Leslie thought as she felt the ropes around her mouth ease up and fall off. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. <Hm… I can feel Vic’s connection linking you with others.>

<Can you tell where they are?> Root asked curiously as he worked in undoing the ankle restraints.

<No… But I get a feeling of what I can do.> Leslie muttered to herself as she looked at Censer, standing at the threshold. With a bit of curiosity, her eyes flashed red. <I-I’m a telepath. Don’t worry, I’m trying to get us to talk.>

That got Censer to stop where he was as he felt his head. <What is this!?>

<This is Leslie trying to create telepathic links. Can you hear me?> Root asked as he helped her walk after her legs had been left to fall asleep in an uncomfortable position.

<Loud and clear… Thank god! The silence was upsetting,> Censer said as he guided Leslie into the VIP lounge. She flinched in surprise at the destruction, including the knocked down woman bound by a chain around her wrists. <We need something stronger to bind her…>

<It’s better than nothing… Alright, get it,> Censer ordered.

Root really wasn’t in the mood to argue or try to get Censer to do the task, he just made his way back to fetch the rope.

<Thanks for keeping her busy… and helping knocking her out,> Censer said as he caught the set of ropes tossed his way and set to work wrapping the ankles of the brick woman.

<You actually managed to beat her…> Root thought in a congratulatory tone as he helped the unconscious brick woman up, reinforcing the chain.

<I’ve been thinking about taking her down since I woke up in that closet…> Censer grumbled. <What’s going on? What’s the situation.>

<Shit…> Censer muttered.

<I’ll tell you everything but we have to move. We first have to stop by the Security Room to check on the reactor’s status. Then we rush our way to the hangar to foil their escape…>

Censer muttered. <Lightning and I were supposed to fail half of you… Crap. Forget that. I’m not used to having my thoughts shared.>

<Try creating a lobby,> Leslie chimed in.

Root said as they both finished the double knot on the ropes. <Think you can fight? Because I’m out of mana and seeds.>

Censer picked up his weapon, with the chain now being as short as his arm. <Fortunately, I have extra parts and a better chain in my bag within the lockers on level one. I’ll run and get it.>

Censer said as he crossed the hallway, taking a moment to look at the frozen Lighting within the glazed box. <Wow, they were really prepared against him. You better not be dead…> the man muttered to himself as he moved through the hallway.

<A book...?> Leslie wondered but Root already had the answer in the back of his head.

To Be Continued

Read 1797 times Last modified on Monday, 07 October 2024 23:16

Published in Canon: Second Generation

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