[writing] Project Chaos - Chapter Seven
May. 15th, 2010 10:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
djtenkuWord Count:
Summary: Itch. Barefoot. Fire.
Xiong Lang had that itch, the type that he thought he had satisfied some years ago. Maybe it’s just from the commotion, he thought, dismissing the itch. He considered back to Friday and the damned itch flared up. It has been a while since he had a good fight. Had Taka not interfered, he continued, I would have had two martyrs for the cause.
Lang hadn’t quite thought about the cause – except the fame and glory, the ruination of any type of civilization, the inevitable allies and enemies, and the countries that would pay him for his services. They would, he concluded with a fierce grin. It would certainly pay off from where he came from. But what about the itch? Will it be truly be quelled? Hopefully it would be by the time he died, but even then, he probably wouldn’t give it a second thought; all he knew was that he’d better die standing.
“Assemble the squad leaders,” he told the guards as he passed by, “and tell them to meet in the press room. They should know where it is.” He entered the awaiting elevator door and pressed the button for it to close. They did and elevator made its slow ascension to the first floor. Had he known better, it was almost deliberately. To his dismay, it was only a one way, either up or down and no stops in between. The least they could’ve done was add some music, he thought in dismay.
The elevator halted and the doors slid open. Lang saw Roya traveling down the stretching hall, towards him. He said nothing to her as she passed by, but glanced over his shoulder at the smell of charred flesh, and saw the patch of red on her white dress. He thought nothing of it except that she had failed to do her part. “If you’re looking for your father, he’s underground,” he finally said.
Roya’s response was only silence but he disregarded as he crossed into the lobby and to a brown door marked with a bald eagle with its wings spread and entered it. There sat eight men at a rectangular table that was low and possibly old; the chairs reminded him of the cheap seats of an arena: silver, old, and nonexistent cushion. They wore the same garbing as the other guards wore – grey and white intertwining each other with the occasional splash of black. The only thing that separated the squad leaders from the rest was the distinct but subtle color band worn around their upper arm – green, black, white, dark blue, light blue, orange, red and yellow. Still though, they looked the same to him.
Red stood up and pressed a small button on the blank slate of a wall. For a second, the air was electrified as a blue square film materialized from thin air, crackling sometimes while the white streaks of electricity dotted it, forming into scattered shapes; a map of the whole installation.
“So, where are they?” Lang demanded, crossing his arms.
“According from seven minutes ago,” Yellow started, “the vanguard chased the intruders to the southwest corner of the base. However, there were only two of the three; one went into the furnace building while the other went into Building ‘C’. Currently, we do not know the whereabouts of the third, but it is believed that we have suffered casualties; seven humans and five dogs.”
They must have a sniper. And there’s only three, Lang thought in amusement. “Did the vanguard suffer any casualites?”
“No,” Green said, “but their leader suffered a cracked visor.”
“Huh, must’ve been a lucky shot,” he said aloud.
“And,” Black added, “they have separated for now. Their jammers are still in effect.”
“Ah, the intruders can’t speak to each other, good,” Lang said. “You two,” he pointed to the Blues, “send your squad towards the furnace buildings. You,” he pointed to Red, “send your squad to ‘C’. Everyone else, return to your stations under alert, and watch for the sniper.” That’s why Roya didn’t say anything…
“If you capture them, bring them to me, alive. Understand?”
The leaders solemnly nodded and Lang walked out.
-
“You can’t hide forever!” Sol sang as he unleashed another wave of fire down the aisle. “It’s going to be a lot worse if you don’t surrender!”
Shin ducked into a small crevice, well away from the Fire Wolf, but smelled his awful odor. She got over the smell, but whenever he got near, it became almost unbearable. Ten minutes had past since she lost her M9 and three since he started his assault. Think, she told herself, you don’t have your weapon and he does. It would be only a matter of time before he runs out of fuel. Wait it out.
No, another voice interjected, by then, he would have found you. He’s only going to wear you and take you out as soon as you’re down. Don’t! Something struck a nearby crate, discontinuing any more thought that she had. Shin peeked out from her spot and saw Sol just out of view, calling her out. Damn, how am I gonna get out without seeing me? She felt the distant lick of heat from another wave and shifted back into the crevice. A light switched on in her mind’s eye and began to untie her boots; she sat them aside and exited out of the hole. I can move a lot easier since he can’t hear me now, she thought with a smile.
Shin stuck by the crates, backtracking towards the direction that she dropped her gun, taking advantage of her chameleon camouflage, which painted her a light green and a navy blue on occasions. After slow, deliberate steps and constant stopping, she arrived at the intersection. Her gun was still there, to her surprise, and the Wolf was nowhere to be seen. Within a few steps, she scooped up the still warm gun, inspecting it; it wasn’t damaged at all. She pressed her body against the crate as the noises stopped, except a clanking noise and slowly turned to it.
She saw the Fire Wolf not far from her now, but how did he move that fast in such a little timeframe? If she moved, he would find her…
“Faerie, where did you go?” he asked in Icelandic. “Guess I’ll have to force you out…” He trotted towards the intersection and Shin feared that he would see her. To her surprise, he did not see her and he hooked a right.
Shin crossed to the other side, still eyeing the man that wielded the flamethrower. He can’t hear me either… She stood beside the crate and steadily aimed for the tanks; she squeezed the trigger once. As the round pierced the left tank, she expected it to explode, but nothing happened as she ducked back into her spot.
“Nice try,” he said as he turned around. A column of fire shot past her, nearly scalding her right arm. Shin bolted and banked a left as Sol approached her former spot, and back the other way, towards his spot. She noticed that his footprints were imbedded into the steel ground. What the hell…? She snapped another round as she sprinted through the clearing, this time puncturing the right tank, feigning right as Sol came about the corner.
“I’ll root her out,” he whispered as he switched his nozzle. The contents of the middle off-colored tank stirred, causing it to turn a bright red. “You’ve made me angry,” he said, louder. “I thought I’d never use this, but you just gave me a good reason to!” Sol’s last word became a roar as he pressed the trigger. Heat gathered around the nozzle for several seconds; he took a step backward as blue and white flames shot from it. It gave a deafening howl as it surged forward, covering the spaces between the crates and split into two other directions.
Shin ran towards the center of the crate she took cover and flattened herself as the wave of flames touched the sides, looking away. When the howl became silence, she opened her eyes and saw the damage; the crate’s side were warped, twisted, and melted. She saw more as she peeked through the side. Before she gave the thought of her being caught in the fire, she dashed towards the smaller crates near the corner of the building and climbed on top of them and onto the larger crates, overlooking the maze.
Shin laid flat on her belly, putting her right extended arm over her left, aiming for Sol’s middle tank. She heard the winding up of the heat and saw the tank glow red; her target. She narrowed her sapphire eyes as she pulled the M9’s trigger three times, sending each round puncturing the middle tank.
Before Sol could even react to the impact, all three tanks exploded, engulfing him in a display of blue, white, red, and orange.
Shin rose, wiping away a bead of sweat from her forehead, relieved. However, the feeling dissipated as she saw him emerge from the inferno, with a savage grin on his face.
-
"Ah, I lost it," Meeko said as she reclined back into her seat, dejected. She threw another styrofoam cup in the wastebasket absently, and missed the whole thing. "At least they had communication and they're alright." For now anyway, she didn't add.
"Not until it goes fubar or there's a really bad snafu," Zigor the pilot said.
"Too late for that," Michael said as he finished his drink.
-
The lights were dim and the space was something to be desired. So was having ammo and a couple grenades but he couldn't complain. He often heard chattering on the other side of the wall, the talk of recent events. What a way to start off the mission, Kento thought with a wry grin. The vanguard was nowhere to be found but he knew that they were near; he lost the link a while back and never got it re-established. They can take care of themselves for a little while.
He came at a dead end to the seemingly long passageway lined with pipes, cobwebs, and the water heater. At least that - and his black synthetic thermal- kept him warm. There was a long and thin crack in the wall, emitting light and sound. He went to open it until something - someone; a guard - blocked it. "Great," he muttered, pulling back. Kento listened for more chatter, but heard nothing else.
Slowly, he slipped his fingers through the crack and opened it further, cringing at every subtle sound it made. To his sheer luck, the guard did not flinch. However, the sentry was slow to his wits as he was snatched into the darkness.
-
It started. The headache was piercing his skull, robbing his vision for a few seconds, but it felt like eons to him. His body shook violently and he found himself beating and clawing at the floor, in the snow.
Rowan wanted to kill - to get rid of his curse, satisfy the monster. Why is this happening? his rationale managed. In an effort to keep himself quiet, he bit his lip, trying to take his mind off of the attack. At the moment he felt the dull pain, the assault went into remission. His head swam and his sight returned within a few blinks.
Rowan stared up at the moon as he caught his breath and he knew it was only the beginning.
-
How can he have survived that explosion? Shin asked herself as she watched Sol emerge from the inferno. How can he come out unscathed? What was he?
Sol laughed as he saw the disconcerted look on her face. “You cannot kill me so easily. Fire is an extension of me,” he said as he extended his right arm. Flames still danced on it, until he absorbed it through his skin, briefly flashing red. “I’ll give you an example!” Sol balled his hand; a glow formed around it and eventually made a ball. He lobbed it towards the crate, striking it at the bottom of it.
Shin kept her balance as the container shifted and took a quick step back as flames shot up from the impact. She guessed that he was about a hundred feet away and eight feet below, and imagined the damage he could do if she was on level ground. Another ball struck the crate, this time piercing it. She leaped to a shorter container as it collapsed, imploding on itself.
“You can’t escape!” The Fire Wolf bellowed, throwing multiple spheres, hitting everything everywhere. He cackled as more of the place became lit.
Shin didn’t know where he went and stopped, catching her breath. She could root him out into the open but she only had two rounds and a clip left and knowing his ability, he could incinerate them easily. A sphere caught her off-guard and sent her crashing to the steel floor, landing with a sharp cry. She grasped her left shoulder as she stood up and felt something in the wrong place.
Another ball landed short of her and created a wall, blocking her route from the right; Shin took the left as another blocked the path she just took. She checked her shoulder – it was bruised and worse, dislocated. She sighed as she clutched her arm, pulling until she heard a dull pop; her shoulder lid back into its place – along with a twinge of pain. “Hurt, are we?” Shin glanced with a grimace to see Sol looking down at her with a smirk. He was catching something in his hand – a silver pipe.
Sol jumped down from the crate and laughed as Shin pointed her gun at him. “Don’t bother wasting your ammo; that peashooter won’t hurt me.”
“You wouldn’t hurt a lady, would you?” Shin asked softly, catching the Wolf in surprise. She lowered her gun.
“What’s this?” he asked in astonishment. “Are you surrendering? You’ve finally became wise!”
Shin kept her eyes on the pipe and the belt that hung loosely from his waist, occasionally glancing at the man. “I’m just tired of running.” She smiled inwardly; how can anyone be so gullible? She winced as she rested her hands on her knees, emphasizing her point. Out of the top of her eyes she saw the pipe now tucked in Sol’s left hand, though his right was glowing. “That’ll make my job a lot easier,” she heard him say.
She shifted left as Sol brought back his hand, engulfed with fire, feeling the hot wind pass by her; Shin aimed and shot at the pipe twice. It split apart with a tiny light and she gazed away as she heard the explosion and an inhuman howl of pain. The Fire Wolf was surrounded by dense, black smoke and Shin dashed through it, pilfering the belt with ease and traveled back to the corner where she previously placed her boots.
Sol had absolute murder in his red hazel eyes. His left arm was blown off clearly, leaving only a bloody stump. He howled again at the sight. “You bitch! You’re dead, you hear me? Dead! “
Shin gazed at the tubes – some were marked with ‘F.B’ and some with a capital ‘G’ and there were twenty-four in all. She replaced the empty M9 cartridge with her last clip after she laced her boots up. She paused when she heard the deafening sound of metal grinding and twisting and peaked out of her spot – or rather stood up. The maze that were made up of crates and containers were gone – incinerated and left with no traces that they were even there, except the vague shadows they had. White and blue flames dotted the platform, raging.
A blast of white fire nearly struck Shin, sending her rolling towards the edge of the floor where the lava pit drop off began. She stopped about a yard away, and stood up, realizing her gun had gone missing again. She heard a low voice chanting, and it eventually crescendoed; she squinted, and shielded her eyes from the brightness. Sol was off in the distance, wrapped in a terrible white and blue aura which made all of the scattered flames dull in comparison.
“Neem deze ziel aan Hel, maak het branden want eeuwig de draak Woede is!” roared Sol as the inferno rose above his body. It slowly formed into a head with a long snout, and then the body formed into a snake-like body with small arms of a lizard, but with yellow claws. The eyes formed as well, a dark red that was the color of blood. A dragon was made – no- born entirely out of fire.
Shin couldn’t believe her eyes, but she had to push her doubt away, and stop herself thinking about fear. She had to concentrate, or else she would be dead in mere seconds. She saw Sol double over in pain, or exhaustion, but it was about time.
The Dragon of Fury lowed as it suddenly charged within a second, startling her. Within two seconds, she sprinted into the fray as the dragon struck the wall, spreading and shooting flames, running and dodging the offshooting flames and picked off a G pipe from the belt. With force, she threw it towards the weakened Fire Wolf and shifted left as it exploded, spinning on her right heel, striking Sol with her spin kick. However, it barely fazed him. He grabbed her outstretched leg and flicked her, sending her towards the edge again.
She landed on her still-injured shoulder and gritted her teeth; before she moved though, he was right there, right hand glowing red. At this range, either type of grenade would seriously injure her, if not do away her. Shin narrowed her eyes as she made her decision. She gripped the ground as Sol’s hand started downward, and propelled herself, sliding underneath him. Rising, she leg sweeped him and connected a foot with his jaw with a sickening snap, forcing him to stagger back. He didn’t say anything, but only stared at her with dull red eyes.
His glow was now a low blue and he clearly appeared drained. He was warned never to use the Dragon of Fury… His remaining arm felt heavy, and weight started to build on his shoulders, planting himself in place for a few seconds. Blood pooled and spilled out of his mouth. A invisible force pushed him lightly backwards and he was descending into the lava pit below.
Sol always feared and welcomed death. He had dreamed of being engulfed by countless infernos ever since he discovered his calling, and yet, he still hadn’t. There was so much to see. Now he could never accomplish that, at least, not till the cycle began again. And yet…he never told his love about how he really felt about it.
Shin turned away as she heard the murmur of the pit. The fires dissipated, leaving invincible traces of the burnings in anyway, except the blackened wall – the dragon’s mark. She sighed, exhausted, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. She glanced around for a way out and found it; a ladder that lead all the way to the roof. Shin found her gun along the way, and ascended towards the catwalk that hanged a little more than six feet from the ceiling. A door was just ahead and she started for it, until she heard – felt – the low pitch frequency waves. She glanced down and saw two black clad figures.
Not again, she said silently.
