S1E24
HOMETOWN FSE
The entire town's freaking out since the last episode aired, but that's surprisingly not what this is about. Seems the ISB has figured something out: the seismic device is being moved around almost constantly on a truck... but the small neighborhood of Newall is specifically used for the device to safely get around; most likely due to the place's heavy sympathies to the SoC cause. The Augustan military, on the other hand, has discovered another thing: when SADAFOR arrived, they airdropped a generator powerful enough to turn this seismic device into a portable apocalypse. We're running a race against time to find this truck, and with it, the fate of thousands lies in the balance. We're counting on you, Alpha Squad.
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Hometown FSE, Act 3E
2500 Elaine St
Newall
Attonfield
Trinity AESGRJune 12, A.C. 479
2:00 AM Central Euphemian Standard Time
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There were many places to hide behind the veil of Euphemian suburbia. Behind the unassuming facade of one of many houses, things were busier than ever within.
Where a midsize SUV would otherwise be present, the garage bore host to something else.
A kiln glowed at the centre of the garage, akin to a warm hearth. A particular shadow was cast by the furnace's flicker, that of an armor-clad soldier, metallic tongs in hand. Sitting there, Imperial-issue BR-II battle rifle slung over her shoulder, Leah Dalien Vosloo produced a glowing rod from within, slowly bringing it to her helmet. With a sharp hiss, the rod met metal — and with careful precision, Leah slowly engraved a handprint on the left side with all the artistry and care of a professional. It was a talent that warranted enough of her peers' attention, a few squadmates curiously observing the feat with great interest.
Working with metallurgy was among the Ruiter woman's myriad of talents, the hand-mark a reminder of her past duty for Langswaard — where she had once bore the nickname 'the Right Hand of God'. She had seen many things, served in many places, and Euphemie was but another chapter in her life.
From the farms and mines of the Licungan Plateau on the eastern Vrystaat's plains, to the wet rainforests and arid deserts of Kidosi, to the woodlands and snow-capped peaks of Attonfield, Leah had seen a great many things. Life was a strange affair, something Leah could attest to with her years of Langswaard service. A Voortrekker's calling in life was adventure, something that had brought Leah to this miserable corner of the world.
"Ah, perfek.." Leah murmured, taking a moment to admire her own handiwork.
“What ‘cha working on, S-P-C? A cheery voice asked from behind, carrying his helmet beside him as if it were a part of him. The rank on his chestplate, a single, pretty boring-looking chevron, and a lack of any regalia on his armor indicated that he, Skyler It's-Gonna-Take-a-Miracle W. Rodriquez, was much greener than everyone else in the room.
It contrasted rather heavily with Leah's own two chevrons, paired with an S — to imply she bore the rank of specialist — along with an additional V, to further indicate that she was a Voluntarius, among those foreigners who had willingly joined the Legion in pursuit of adventure, a calling in life, and glory. Naturally, the Empire's sole 'ally', the Vrystaat, was the primary accepted source of these foreign curiosities, out of fear of Coalition spies slipping into the ranks.
"My helmet, Privaat." Leah replied, setting the glowing rod back into the kiln, returning the tongs to their rack. The completed product was undoubtedly something to behold — meticulous grooves running their course across the entirety of the bestial hand, bearing five digits like a man, yet carrying semblance to something of some primordial animal, fingers ending sharply as if they were talons. It ran its course along the left side, sparing only the visor itself.
“Int’resting.” Private Rodriquez noted quietly. “Is there ‘uh fancy meaning to it?”
"When I werked for the Langswaard, they called my 'die regterhand van God'... or 'the Right Hand of God', as jou Euphemians would say." Leah replied in her heavy Ruiter accent, looking back to her helmet. "Used to have this mark on my old helmet. Keeping to tradision, I suppose."
“Back when you, uh, worked over there?” Skyler asked, curious. “They didn’t say much about you — they never do ‘bout new people.”
"Yes." Leah plainly replied, momentarily testing the helmet's HUD and integrated lights. "That's classified, unfortunately. It was.. a fun time, however, I must say." Removing the helmet once more, the Ruiter managed a sigh, looking up to the ceiling.
A voice would interrupt the moment as their CO — Sergeant Ember I'm-So-Excited T. Frye, walked in, whistling to the group that occupied the garage and tapping the wall to get their attention. Her 'hardass' attitude was, perhaps, oddly contrasted with her 'urges' towards some of her male subordinates, even occasionally mid-combat. "Generator's due to be transported! Our lil' KITTEN here is about to purr! Run some checks, Corporal!" She instructed, to which one of the armored troopers in the garage quickly got to work on the device.
“Sar’nt always brings some surprises to the table,” Skyler muttered to himself.
The seismic device was something of a monster — a monster of the Empire's creation. The SoC had been 'keeping it warm' for them, so to speak — and now it was officially theirs once more. Ultimately, it would be the soldiers of Phaeton Company that would, at least metaphorically, pull the trigger on a weapon that could cause unfathomable destruction. Without its generator, it was significantly weakened — but that would change in due time.
With a menacing hum, the machine came to life, computerized bleeps and bloops ensuing as its numerous subroutines came to life, a central electromagnetic component shooting sparks as it began to spin.
"BEAUTIFUL, ain't it?" Ember practically bellowed, crossing her arms as she took a moment to admire the machine. "Augusta'll be as good as ours when this baby cracks ground.”
The momentum of the occasion, however, would be interrupted as the door flung open once again — this time by a more regal-looking armored NCO. "A—all of y—you! Y—you've stheriou— seriously done it this time! ... why didn't a—...anyone tell me about the black box?! S—SERGEANT!"
---==============---
As it turned out, brain damage from getting shot in the head made — ergo the stuttering problem — it hard to be taken seriously.
"Yes, Sir?" Ember saluted the SFC's arrival, standing at the ready.
"Y—you know w—what I'm talkinf— TALKING about! The BLACK BOX. F—from the PLANE." The SFC practically paced around in frustration, murmuring incoherencies to herself as Sergeant Frye tried to process the situation.
"Okay, slow down Sir—"
"S—STHOP MAKING THAT JOKE!"
"THE. BLACK. BOSTH— BOX. It.. T—TRANSMITTED!" Exclaimed the SFC, bringing a boot down to emphasize her point. "We have a POTHITIVE location!"
“Did she say ‘positive’?” Skyler murmured moreso to himself than anyone else.
"En I presume it's in Auggie hands?—" Leah's question warranted an outburst from SFC. Eden, the commanding officer of the Company spouting an incoherent jumble of swears.
"NO, ISTH'S IN A N—NE—NEIGHBORHOOD! IN A H—HOUTHE!" Jaida stammered, growing flustered with frustration.
“A what?” Skyler asked.
"That is 'sarcasm', yes, Sarsent?" Leah reluctantly questioned. "Is it nie... silly for a piece of military equipment to be in a huis?"
“A what?” Skyler repeated.
"I—I'M N—NOT JOKING, O—OKAY? IT'—IT'S IN SOMEONE'S HOUSE!" The SFC stuttered, before typing away at her wrist-computer, then showing it to the group — according to their rather outdated map data, it was somewhere in Old Attonfield's suburbs. "T—th—those KIDS that the Thockies mentioned— th—they probably sthole it or sthomething!"
“Ohhh! Someone’s house!” Skyler nodded, understanding. “Yes..”
"S—SHUDDUP!" Jaida lashed at Skyler, before turning her attention to the other officers in the room. "I—I am going to flipth a coin! Heads and Chimera Squad goes. Tails and F—Fenree—Fenrir Squad goes. Okay? One—" Tossing an Imperial coin bearing a silver bust of Honorius on one end and a depiction of the Imperial Palace in Hyperion on the other, Jaida watched the coin fly into the air, trying to keep her composure as a few soldiers snickered.
Narrowly managing to catch the coin, Jaida opened her palm — and was greeted by the structure so eponymous with the city of Hyperion. "W—WELL! I—it's— it's tails. F—Fenrir Squad!"
Skyler pointed to himself, then turned to Leah, still trying to figure if it was his turn to go or not — after all, being green meant adapting to this new lifestyle was a bit of a culture shock. “S-sir? Oh, I didn’t mean to stutter there, sir, I—”
"Y—YOU'RE NOT FENRIR SQUAD! GRGHHGNhhmmrph... N—NEWORDER GIVE ME PATIENCE... y—you f—fufcking maggots! FENRIR SQUAD!" She yelled, returning her attention to the other squad in the garage. "YOU are going to g—GET THAT THI—THINGIE BACK! N—..N—...RIGHT NOW!"
Rolling her eyes, Leah glanced over to her new friend by happenstance, as if they both knew — it was going to be a long day ahead of them.
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Hometown FSE, Act 3F
Marcus' House
Old Attonfield
Attonfield
Trinity AESGRJune 12, A.C. 479
3:15 AM Central Euphemian Standard Time
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Marcus’s very real fear of Imperial invasion and iron-clad shock troopers infiltrating Augusta had become a reality in less than 24 hours. Not only were the Imperials actually in Trinity — scratch that, in Attonfield itself — the Imps knew where he lived, where their black box last was, and now very well could’ve been on their way over to his home right now.
Needless to say, the night was sleepless, and as if listening to DJ LRJ rambling on about “Baraku mimics” and “Utsanji cyber-ninja assassins on the streets of Torch City” wasn’t enough to make this even more stressful, the fact that his parents were out of town for the weekend did. He was concerned about their safety — as well as his own — and always kept an eye out on the window beside his desk to the occasional passing car or van.
But where do I go..? Should I leave? Obviously, the place was compromised, but he wasn’t going to risk it walking late at night, especially out in the streets of Old Attonfield with gangs roaming about and trigger-happy cops. Maybe, just maybe, one of his friends was awake, maybe up watching movies, or playing games…
tap tap
From his room on the second floor, he could hear someone — or something — tap against the glass. Instinctively, he reached for the Denton Slugger beneath his desk: a metal bat with a grip that he took up like a knight about to chop someone in half. Were they already here..or was it someone else?
To Marcus's relief, it was Jade. Standing there, a small flickering flame floating above her right hand as she waited by the window, keeping her balance atop the roofing. Aside from her signature 'Gift', he could tell it was her, as the streetlights reflected upon her round glasses. Mouthing a "Hi!" from the other side, she waited for him to open the window. No doubt she had come here for concerns similar to the ones Marcus harbored now...
Marcus relaxed his shoulders and set his bat down, opening the window to let his friend in. “Oh.. Jade! Uh. What’cha doin’ here...this late?”
"...what do you think?" Jade questioned, slipping in and setting her backpack down. "I'm, well... worried! We accidentally put you on the map, and... I don't know what that even means! And I'm sorry for that. I've gotta make up for that somehow... I can, uhh... keep you safe! Yeah.." Awkwardly trailing off, she seated herself by his desk, a rather somber look about her otherwise youthful features.
“You good, Jade?” He asked. “I mean, we got the whole Augustan Army on our back, don’t we? Jasmine’s dad said he’d keep a look out for us, right?” It could be seen that from his voice, he wasn’t too happy about their odds — but at least the reassurance that they’d have the backing of LTCOL Collins was something to keep close.
"..I don't know.. do we?" Jade murmured. "Latest JSOF episode's made everything... well, rather clear. Entire town's flipping out over this whole 'invasion' thing. I don't even know who to trust anymore, besides you guys..." Sighing, she looked down. "It's hard. But then again, it always is.." It was almost uncharacteristic of Jade to sulk, but given the circumstances... she had every reason to.
Marcus’s face was mostly shrouded by the shadows of the room — all thanks to the lighting of the corner he sat in — but his posture practically spoke a million words. He was scared, nervous, unsure of what to do, but now that Jade was here, he had a little confidence in him, perhaps a hint of bravery..
He looked up at Jade, hands clasped together. “We’ll get through this. I know we will — y’all are my friends, and I’ll stick out for y’all. You feel?”
"..I can try." She conceded, nodding. An awkward silence would pass, before she spoke up again. "..you weren't getting much sleep either, were you?" Jade managed a chuckle, tiredly rubbing her eyes.
“Nah, I’ve been up all night, man. Watchin’ videos, makin’ music..” Marcus’s attention was briefly caught by the window that Jade had come in from. “Keepin’ watch. Y’know.”
"..yeah, same." She agreed. "I can, uh, keep watch, if you w—"
CRASH
A clamor downstairs brought both friends to practically freeze amid their own words, a distinct pallor overcoming Jade, visible even in the dim lighting of the moonlight. Marcus froze up, unsure of what to do, or what to make of that strange noise. Was it an animal…? Can’t be..
Loud, almost mechanical footsteps — some order, voice indecipherable from afar over the distortion. Hurrying over to the window, Jade momentarily peeked through the blinds — only to be met by several pairs of glowing red eyes in the treeline. Swiftly she ducked back in, her reaction a sufficient answer. "..we have to get out. Like, now." She cautioned in a stern whisper, adjusting her glasses as she composed herself.
“Wh-tha fuck..? Are they here?!” Marcus stammered. “How the fuck are we gonna get out?”
As the sound of mechanical footsteps drew nearer, so too did the voices. Jade listened with great care, gesturing Marcus to 'shhh'.
"CHECK THE UPSTAIRS!" The heavily-modulated voice of a woman instructed. Loud footsteps ensued until they were rather obviously approaching the room through the upstairs.
creeeeeaaaaak...
One of the other bedrooms was rather audibly being searched through.
Carefully, Jade opened the door, peering into the corridor. The rear side of an armor-clad SADAFOR drop trooper, firearm aimed into the other room. Hurriedly, she gestured Marcus over, mouthing a "c'mon!". He followed her out, sticking low and quick as they moved into the hallway.
Their heartbeats were akin to freight trains, Marcus' chest pounding as they snuck past the two-man group slipping into his father's room. Gesturing Marcus to keep quiet once more, Jade carefully led the way to the stairs, just past the room in question.
Right as she neared the beginning of the way down, Jade froze — her shoes resting atop a SGT. BUTCH™ action figure, belonging to Marcus' little brother... the press-activated kind. The lights on the toy came to life, low-quality gunfire and explosion sounds emitting from the figure as the muscular Sergeant Butch spoke his signature line. "I CAME TO KICK ASS AND CHEW BUBBLE GUM, AND I'M ALL OUT OF GUM!"
"Fucking shit—" Jade's curse was drowned out as the action figure boomed once more.
"I ONCE MADE A SPECIAL PROMISE TO A SPECIAL WOMAN... LADY LIBERTY."
Instinctively, one of the drop troopers pulled away from the room, BR-II rifle at the ready, aimed at both of them — before slowly lowering it by a few inches. From the intimidating helmet, the heavily modulated voice of a man could be heard within. "..hey now, kids— just show us where the black box is, and—"
"aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!—" Jade's instinctive response was a burst of flame that practically detonated the Imperial's rifle in his hands, violently sending him flying back into the room. "Sorry about your dad's room— GO!" A string of cursing followed, loud boots against the floor as both teenagers practically bolted downstairs.
“Holy FUUUCCKK!” Marcus screeched, scrambling for cover as he and Jade practically threw themselves down the stairs.
The desperate charge down the stairs would soon bring them running past the kitchen, two more glowing pairs of red eyes from the kitchen as rifles turned around. "Kids?! What th—"
There was no time. Both stoves in the kitchen exploded in a half-second, flames throwing both SADAFOR troopers within violently against the wall, their pained grunts ensuing as they struggled to return to their feet, stunned in the fiery aftermath. Naturally, it'd torn through the wall — but the property damage of it all hardly mattered now. "Sorry!" Jade muttered to Marcus, bolting for the exit by the kitchen door, which had been left ajar by the intruders.
It wasn't too hard to hear the yelling on comms as the two practically leaped through, a hard landing ensuing a few steps down as they landed on the backyard grass, hastily picking themselves up as they fled the house.
VictoryOS v0.97
CODEX COMMUNICATIONIS
[SGT. Maria Little-Jeannie C. Everett] "How the fuck—"
[SFC. Jaida The-Longest-Time B. Eden] "T—th—that's a RAD C—CHILD! A—Apprehend them at oncthe!"
[SGT. Maria Little-Jeannie C. Everett] "She's... just a kid, Sir!"
[SFC. Jaida The-Longest-Time B. Eden] "ORDTHERS ARE... O—ORDERS! SECURE T—TH BLACK BO—... BOX, AND THE KID!"
[SGT. Maria Little-Jeannie C. Everett] "..understood. Ave Gloria, Ave Imperio!"
©479 Imperial Computing Systems
AVE GLORIA, AVE IMPERIO!
“What the fuck do we do now?!” Marcus stammered.
Jade's reply was simple enough as they vaulted over the backyard fence, running for their lives. "We fucking RUN."
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Hometown FSE, Act 3G
River Gorge Regional Airport
River Gorge
Attonfield County
Trinity AESGRJune 12, A.C. 479
3:27 AM Central Euphemian Standard Time
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Just Attonfield Things is brought to you by MEMORIES FROM PRAELIA CAICOS: REVOLUTION™, combining the latest in 3D graphics with a new engine for the popular RTS series! Buy or download a copy today to play it right on your computer, no trip to the store needed.
”Well, well, well, Attonfield, hahaha, I’m STILL KICKING! It’ll take a lot more than a Baraku mimic or a Utsanji cyber-ninja to take this mother hubber down, and let’s not even talk about sleep — I don’t got time for that! The town’s been in chaos all week, and you guys asked for ME to be your reliable source of CLARITY from the chaos. So, with my trusty COSMIC flashlight, it’s beam penetrating the igneous rock of ignorance, the unbreakable wall of ugliness, shining light on the treasure of TRUTH, I’m comin’ at you with an extra long show, answering all your calls!
And—good heavens, look at the time folks! Iiiiit’s 3:30… you know what that means! It’s LATE NIGHT QUESTION AND ANSWER, faxed in right to the studio! With the sound of the gong, start faxing in your questions with the power of electricity, and I’ll answer ‘em!
* VERY LOUD GONG NOISE *
Alright.. Who’s first?
* Clears throat, sound of printer working *
This first one’s from.. Apophis from Kipisi: ‘Dear DJ LRJ, I agree wholly with your message from the 7th of June! I wish those monsters who are the powers that be in the pharmaceuticals industry would get a taste of their own medicine. We all know what’ll happen to those bastards when they eat up the own filth they caused: They’ll bloat up like fucking balloons, vulnerable and writhing around in the streets — AND THAT is when we strike, popping them! Solidarity to you, brother.. From Kipisi.’
* Sound of paper crumpling * ...Mummies, so dramatic! Anyways, Apophis from Kipisi, thank you for calling in, and thank you for the…
* Pause, sound of printer working *
...fanart, even though I most definitely did not want to be drawn alongside this admittedly voluptuous humanoid Akhmanari vulture you use as an icon on ONIRICSPACE, I do appreciate you going out of your way to draw me as the broad-shouldered and muscular KNIGHT OF KNOWLEDGE I am! Heh heh! I’ll keep this one handy, if you know what I mean, haha!
* Sound of printer working *
Now, the next one is from Gabby Cavalcanti from Angecalia: ‘DJ LRJ, my big brother keeps saying this weird phrase, ‘cheemsburger’ behind my head, and it’s driving me crazy! How do I politely tell him that he’s been BRAINWASHED by the Niemetos??’ Well, I won’t ball this one up since it’s not from a mummy and [i]doesn’t have a drawing on it, but that’s easy, Gabby! Take your trusty shovel, and SMACK HIM upside the head with it! That’ll get the brainwashin’ out of him!“
The Euphemian radio show was still going on softly in the background as white noise as Selim was suddenly woken up in a cold sweat by the PA system of the airport, thrusting him out of his strangely familiar dream of the jungles of Kidosi. He fished for his smartphone beside the bed, finding that it was, in fact, 3:34...in the morning.. an an uncomfortable pause ensued after the intercom went live.
“Well… sorry to wake you up so early, JSOF, but this is big. really big. Head over to the Rucking Buck Cafe — SADIE and I will brief you guys. Free coffee, too!”
“Atum help me..” Half wanting to go back to sleep, but also irritated that he was yanked out of his dream by the obnoxiously loud intercom, Selim left his bed and quickly got himself dressed, heading over to the Rucking Buck cafe situated in the center of the airport. The lights were on, as usual, Selim doing his best to visually and mentally forget the traumatic experience of seeing the place for the first time, as well as the Rucking Buck’s mascot, whom he dared not to talk about. Jimmy was in the center, as usual, wearing lemur onesie, tail included, along with his signature sunglasses, despite the fact that it was so early in the morning. His hair was messier than usual, but it couldn’t have been messier than when he had done copious amounts of cocaine planning Operation: SECOND SUN.
"Earliest one yet, Boss!" Tagging behind Selim, Erina hadn't lost an ounce of enthusiasm to poor sleep. As they neared the counter of the bar, something brought her to stop, however — though she quickly paid it no mind and seated herself.
“Huh?” Jimmy asked, gladly taking a cup of coffee from SADIE, who was, like Jimmy, wearing a Lemur onesie.
"N—nothing, Boss." replied Erina, fetching a cup of coffee made to her preferences — coffee and milk. It didn't take long for the rest of Alpha Squad to join in, to which it simply became a question of one thing: the briefing.
“Alright, y’all.” Jimmy took one more sip of his coffee, setting it down on the counter with a satisfying clink. “We’ve got the shitstorm of the decade brewing — the perfect storm in Attonfield, and I want us riding it, just like the Atlantic Stormers rode into Turmenista. Ever since the last episode aired, entire town’s chimped out, granted, I was chimping out, too, ‘cause we FINALLY ended that petty fucking ‘oouuuuuggghhh JSOF versus SADAFOR waaaaaaaa’ argument on ONIRICSPACE..but, surprisingly, that’s not why we’re here.”
Jimmy smirked. “We’re here… ‘cause the ISB’s found something.”
Gilmar would be first to ask a question that Erina had seemingly opted to ignore. "..right, uhh... Boss... is that postcard over there you and your sister?" He gestured to a rather festive Solstice card, depicting a rather attractive girl standing beside the Boss. Judging by the annoyed look of Jimmy in the picture, he didn't particularly like his cheek getting sucked on.
Evidently, it had been mailed to him, crumpled-up envelope paper not far from the photograph. Written on it in red permanent marker was a message, concluded with a lipstick kiss:
---==============---
"IT'S SUMMER SOLSTICE, OR AS I LIKE TO CALL IT, WINTER SOLSTICE!" —SIS
The color instantly drained from Jimmy’s face for a moment as he looked over to the card, then lunged for it, taking it from the counter with a powerful swipe as the color returned to his face — albeit, mostly red. “Oh, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK! Why the FUCK would she — no, wait, god damn it!”
“How cute photo!” Kang commented.
"Awww..." Erina couldn't contain her own reaction to the cuteness. "That's SO cute, Boss!! ..I wish my family cared that much about me—"
“Guys, guys–GUYS!” Jimmy shouted. “Just stooopp! Okay?! It’s a photo of me and my sister, okay?”
"I wish I had a sister." Chow commented. "Less work for me back home."
"SO CUTE!" The sparkle in Marina's eyes spoke measures. "I wish I knew where my family was.."
“STOP!!” Jimmy grumbled. “Okay, yes, she’s my sister...she’s also the RETARD who went ahead and bought a whole nuclear submarine, but oh well! She’s a klutz, and I don’t know where she’s at currently, but that’s okay! We have a mission anyways.”
Erina would be first to get to the point. "So... the mission. What're we doing?"
Jimmy crossed his arms. “Well, as I was saying, before I was RUDELY INTERRUPTED BY THAT TANGENT, our Fed buddies found something. Remember that Seismic weapon? The one that’s been going on a wild goose chase all around Attonfield? Well, it’s being moved around almost constantly in some truck, but, specifically, the Fed boys have figured out that Newall is being used to move the thing around. As you may or may not know, Newall is SoC sycophant central, so it makes sense that they’re using it primarily to get it around.”
"We're.. seizing the seismic superweapon." Chow murmured, silently trying to process the responsibility they now carried upon their shoulders.
Jimmy paused, gesturing to the TVs above them as another slideshow began, complete with grainy but colorized photos with soldiers in BDUs all around, all bearing the Augustan flag. “When the Augustan military encountered the SADAFOR boys, they got some...how do I say it, pretty accurate intel from a civilian drone that the fully-armored losers have dropped in a generator powerful enough to, according to Doctor Martin Kannon September-Morn D. Harris, cause a catastrophic earthquake, on demand, anywhere in Augusta. Such a location could be used anywhere, from Attonfield, to White Peaks…”
"Like a goddamn nuke you can reuse..." muttered Gilmar.
Jimmy dramatically slammed a hand down onto the table in front of him. “I’m not asking for y’all to be heroes, or poster people for the ratings, but we’re in a dangerous race against time to find the truck, and the device, while the Augustans try and locate the generator. With or without the generator, if it goes off, a lotta people will die.”
"Doing the right thing — what we've always done." Erina agreed.
“Right..” Selim nodded. “When do we start, Jimmy?”
“Right now. Head on over to the Attonfield Sheriff’s Department.” Jimmy explained. “Meet up with the Fed boys...and we’ll go from there. I’ll be watching you the whole way.”
As casual and quick as the briefing was, Selim couldn’t help but feel the monumental weight of the situation on his shoulders..which was only exacerbated by SADAFOR’s presence — and Vosloo...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hometown FSE, Act 3H
Colonel Skydreamer High School
Old Attonfield
Attonfield
Trinity AESGRJune 12, A.C. 479
3:45 AM Central Euphemian Standard Time
__________________________________
All was black outside Colonel Skydreamer High School, save for the weak flicker of the streetposts in the parking lot. Summer had made the campus the Club had so often emanate an almost eerie feeling. Lights were few and far between — at most, only the corridors within the building were illuminated. Like most Euphemian high schools, its brick facade gave it an aesthetic of its own, decades of memories tinging its halls...
The Club stood outside in the vacant parking lot, beneath a flickering street lamp.
Carmen prompted the first question as saw Jade and Marcus approach. “What’s going on? Why are we here so late — I-I didn’t have much to do, anyways.”
"It is THREE in the morning, man. This better be important." Jerry crossed his arms, suspiciously looking around, akin to a junkie eluding watchful copper eyes.
Similarly, Jasmine was of equally cautious demeanor. "If my dad finds out I'm not home at this hour... well... I reckon I don't needa explain."
Marcus’s only response, once he finally managed to catch his breath, was straight to the point. “We’re fucked.” He looked over each member of the club for a second, eyes wide open as if he had seen death itself. “We’re all fucked.”
"..what? Hold on, slow down—" Katie tried to make something out of his cryptic warning, tilting her head in confusion. "Jade, you know anything—"
"It's SADAFOR. It's fucking SADAFOR. They know... about the black box, and now they're after me because of my.. gift."
“They came to my house almost 30 minutes ago, raided it, tried to find whatever they could...and they almost found us.” Marcus explained, still a bit in shock at the events from earlier. “I knew they’d be coming...I just never knew when..”
Katie quickly reacted with a string of swearing. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK—"
"..shit, man. I shoulda known—" Jerry was interrupted by Jasmine's own outburst in reaction to the revelation.
"T—THEY'RE AFTER YOU GUYS?!" She stammered. "If they know WHO I am, they'll try to hold me hostage! I... I made a mistake coming out here, didn't I? Where are they?!"
"I—I don't know if they're still after us, or if we lost them, or if—... look, we need to get that drone working, and get to the woods." Jade pointed to Marcus' backpack, then to the moonlit mountains to the south. "If we could just—"
thoonk.
thoonk.
Marcus held a finger over his mouth as the sound encroached upon the group. In the dead of night, with no cars about, no birds chirping, no people talking, the sound echoed far and loud — and it was coming from the dark corners of the street, the small park surrounding the school..all around them. A pair of red lights off in the woods normally would’ve made some small child scream about the legendary Charls, but this was no cryptid.
Most of the group that hadn't experienced what Jade and Marcus had had, naturally, gone pale at the sound.
"We gotta move. NOW!" Jade practically bolted for the high school, pointing her right hand to the front entrance as they ran. A brief, miniaturized explosion practically sent the automatic front door flying inward, glass shattering as the group charged inside. Decorations for the graduation party had practically been left as it'd been on the last day of school, Jade kicking a janitor's cart back towards the front entrance as they continued fleeing down the corridor — an abrupt "AGH!" in the distance answered where the cart had gone rather quickly, of course.
“Fuckfuckfuck—” Marcus’s attention was more towards running than thinking, so it was a surprise that he could see something of interest — something they could use to hide. “Sinican 1 class! Fucking hate it, but go!”
He took charge of the group and rushed forwards, kicking open the door with a pseudo-flying sidekick and entering with the rest of the group in tow. Amid the
Almost as quickly as they'd entered, Jade slammed the door shut — waiting by the door with flame just below the metal of the doorknob. The metallic footsteps drew near — a loud BANG as one of the adjacent classrooms were kicked open... in fact, it was the one just across from them.
"..man, what the fuck do we do now?" Jerry whispered, scratching his head as he looked around in the darkened classroom.
“SADAFOR…? Here..?” Carmen whispered. “If they’re here, and they were at Marcus’s house… oh, God..”
Gesturing the others quiet, Jade peered again, peeling back the paper curtain of the door for a moment. There, she could still see the SADAFOR troopers filing into the Euphemian History classroom, orders being barked as they scanned their surroundings.
VictoryOS v0.97
CODEX COMMUNICATIONIS
[SGT. Maria Little-Jeannie C. Everett] "There were more than two kids this time. I'm TRYIN' to find them..."
[SFC. Jaida The-Longest-Time B. Eden] "B—bring me... th—the... the Rad Ch—child, and the black box.."
[SGT. Maria Little-Jeannie C. Everett] "We looked everywhere in that house. Best bet is pyromancer over here..."
[SFC. Jaida The-Longest-Time B. Eden] "N—nonl—lethal... forcthe... um, authorized..."
©479 Imperial Computing Systems
AVE GLORIA, AVE IMPERIO!
Closing the curtain, Jade pulled away from the door, wide-eyed. "..they're looking for me, for us. They think I've got the black box." She whispered, trembling. "..and someone on the other end just authorized... uhhh... nonlethal force."
“Don’t LTCOL Collins got the black box?” Marcus asked. “If they find us..and find out we don’t have it… we’re fucked.”
"..they probably think we ran off with it.." Jade murmured.
"...nonlethal force..." Jerry whispered. "...PBWs."
"..they're gonna fucking fry our eyes.." Katie muttered, shaking at the thought.
thoonk.
thoonk.
The footsteps drew nearer, this time to the door of their classroom. Voices were audible on the other end — specifically, the man Jade and Marcus had first run into. "Alright, let's check this one..." He announced.
The knob turned.
"AAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH WHAT THE FUCK! IT BURNS—"
BOOM
In an instant, the door had been sent flying outward off its hinges, knocking back at least four of the SADAFOR troopers as the gang bolted out.
The voice of the Sergeant was the loudest, naturally. "FUCKING GET THEM!"
“GO!” Marcus didn’t look back as he and the others ran for their lives. More explosions, locker doors acting as projectiles to briefly halt their pursuers. By chance or by intent, the group had quickly burst into the front office, barricading the door and finding cover in the counselor's office.
The group struggled to catch their breath, the door to the office in question also hastily barricaded by Jade as they regained their bearings. This was probably the first time any of them were genuinely glad to be in the counselor's office... the 'live, laugh, love' sign propped up on the shelf still warranted a few eye-rolls.
"..fucking hell.." Katie was first to speak up, trying her best to keep her ragged breaths quiet. "...PBWs..." Her thoughts were still hinged on that, as if she pondered a particular aspect of it.
"..what about 'em, Katie?" Jerry asked between tired breaths.
"...I'm thinking..." Katie murmured.
"Well, you better think fast..." Jasmine interjected. "..I don't know when — or if — my dad's men will come."
Jade, on the other hand, was attent, listening outside.
A male voice called to them, his footsteps seeming to imply the enemy was pacing around the entrance to the front office. "Come on out! We're not going to hurt you! We swear.."
“Fuck that..” Marcus murmured. “What’s the plan, guys? We can’t stay here forever.”
"...do you know what's behind the counselor's office?" Jade questioned, perhaps a little out of the blue. "..I don't, but we're gonna find out soon."
Backing away from the door, Jade brought her hand to the wall opposite the door... and waited.
"Front office won't budge!" One of the soldiers could be distantly heard saying. A few bangs ensued, the soldiers trying to kick the front office open. Given, the Club had made a fortress out of the counselor's office within, but it wouldn't be long if that door budged.
"Fuck it. Stand back... FRAG OUT!"
"Wait! You could hurt them—"
BOOM
The ground shook, the door of the front office ripped to shreds — followed by the sounds of what wood shrapnel had been launched in the office. Jade's reaction was immediate — and in a moment the wall behind the counselor's office was torn apart, the group hurrying into a miscellaneous maintenance room... and back into the corridors of the school once again. Jade had created enough of a distraction to bring them to the doors of the counselor's office, at least.
"THINK FAST!" With haste, Jerry hurried to one of the lockers — his own — and fumbled with the lock. "C'mon, c'mon, C'MON! SON OF A—"
"Fuck it!" Putting her right hand forward, a chain of small explosions ensued as the master locks were destroyed in a chain reaction spanning the corridor, some of them swinging open, some keeping shut, and others practically spilling their contents of books, notes and other school equipment in a haphazard mess.
Jade staggered for a moment from her own exertion, before hurrying to a vacant one. Jerry and Katie bolted to their respective lockers, slamming the metal doors shut as they hunkered down.
The cacophony of gunshot-esque sounds were enough to draw SADAFOR away from the classrooms, the distant sound of metallic footsteps approaching...
“Are you serious?” Marcus, mouth agape, quickly realized what exactly Jade had meant by this — they needed to hide in the lockers now. Hesitating, he eyed the locker up and down, finally deducing it was large enough for him to actually hide in there, backpack and all. “Fuck.. Lockers, hurry!”
He quickly squeezed inside one as Carmen did the same, doing his best to hide his breathing as the heavy metallic footsteps approached.
"I've never seen a Rad Child this powerful..." One of the SADAFOR troopers noted, scanning the corridor.
VictoryOS v0.97
CODEX COMMUNICATIONIS
[SGT. Maria Little-Jeannie C. Everett] "Are you... seeing this on my bodycam, Sir?"
[SFC. Jaida The-Longest-Time B. Eden] "T—th—"
[COL. Numerius Veni-Vidi-Vici R. Paternus] "Report."
[SFC. Jaida The-Longest-Time B. Eden] "S—sir!—"
[COL. Numerius Veni-Vidi-Vici R. Paternus] "I am now assuming control of the situation. A Tier IX ESPer is present in the area of operations. Their secure capture is now operational priority 'Primaris'. Failure to do so will have immediate consequences. The future of this war hangs in the balance."
[SFC. Jaida The-Longest-Time B. Eden] "Y—you h—heard him, stholdier!"
[SGT. Maria Little-Jeannie C. Everett] "..understood. Ave Gloria, Ave Imperio."
©479 Imperial Computing Systems
AVE GLORIA, AVE IMPERIO!
From the cramped space within the locker, Marcus could see the armor-clad SADAFOR troopers patrol the hall, aiming their firearms about. "Do we open each one of 'em, Sir?" One of them asked, opening one of the lockers with the barrel of his rifle — to which a pair of HERCULES™ shoes, books and a basketball cap spilled forth.
"What is a Tier IX ESPer, Sir?" Another soldier questioned, approaching the locker directly to Marcus's right. Grumbling something under his breath, he swung it open. "..huh.." Judging by the clamor inside the locker, the soldier was probably looking through it out of curiosity.
He moved on to Marcus' locker soon thereafter, to which Marcus could feel the man's hand was just about ready to open the locker...
"Don't know. Switch therm—" Something had brought the Sergeant to stop mid-sentence. Turning around, the group trained their rifles on a door: the science lab. "Take cover." She ordered, the group finding shelter beside the door as flames slowly consumed the wooden door.
BOOM
The door practically flew off its hinges, careening into the lockers directly ahead of it. "SHE'S GOT TO BE IN THERE!" With that, the squad of soldiers hurried in, the sound of metallic footsteps filling the science lab of the school. Jade would be first to hop out of the lockers, gesturing the rest of the group out of their own. Marcus managed to stumble out of his, and was helped back up onto his feet by Carmen as the group practically charged down the hallway.
"..what about SADAFOR?" Katie whispered, shooting a paranoid glance towards the lab as they fled.
"They're in for a chemistry lesson." Jade plainly replied.
Meanwhile, the SADAFOR troopers filed in, flashlights aiming about as they studied the racks of flasks, beakers, and various stored substances. "Come on and show yourself! We're going to take you to a safe place, civilian."
"So many chemical substances in here..." One of the soldiers noted, rifle scanning the contents of the shelves. "Teaching children to make chemical weapons, no doubt. Our enemies are so cruel—"
While the teenagers hurried down the hall, a series of explosions would rock the school — followed by the swears and screaming of the SADAFOR troopers in the lab. Rounding a corner, Jade peered across, watching the soldiers stumble out, patting themselves down as they tried to rid themselves of the flames. Her mastery over the flame meant that none would be outright killed, but it was quite clear to see that a few of them had taken damage to their Impulsor Armor, some cursing as they assessed their broken power packs, busted firearms, and soot-clogged rebreathers.
The smoke alarms erupted soon thereafter, water gushing down from the sprinklers as the flames in the lab were taken care of.
Though it served to weaken Jade's own abilities, it'd created enough chaos and confusion for the group to flee.
"Let's get the FUCK out of this place!" Katie gestured to one of the windows, through which a faint ray of moonlight beamed through. It'd suffice as an exit strategy... hopefully.
"Gonna be a hell of a story in the morning about the fire alarm going off..” Carmen muttered, turning back to the hallway as the club began making their way out the window.
They ran like hell — their lives depended on it. It wouldn't be long before they hurriedly fled past the gridiron field, finding shelter behind the bleachers. Between labored breaths, they slowly regained their composure... and soon enough Jade spoke up, adjusting her glasses. "..we need to get to that fucking generator. I don't care what it takes... it's all in or nothing. They want to take our homes, our lives, our memories... make us all geneslaves, whatever it is they do — and I think we got what it takes to make a stand..." Putting a hand forward, Jade looked to the others in anticipation.
Marcus put his hand forward. “I’ll do what it takes. Carmen?”
The group’s artist put her hand forwards in a sudden display of courage.
"...PBWs..." Katie trailed off again, eyes widening at the realization. "I've finally figured it out, guys."
"Huh?" Jerry raised a brow, glancing over to Katie.
"It's just like laser tag." She chuckled, baffled by the realization... the awe would quickly spread to Jasmine, as she herself came to an epiphany of her own.
"..so that's what dad's prepped me for all these years." She murmured, looking up. Bringing her hand to meet Jade's, Jerry and Katie would quickly chime in. "All in or nothing. Just like laser tag..."
“Huh?” Marcus tilted his head. “It makes sense, but… weird..”
The group pep talk would be interrupted by the sound of metallic footsteps. It would quickly be revealed what they were — SADAFOR, rounding the corner of the bleachers, rifles at the ready. "HANDS U—"
Katie's first kneejerk reaction would be to curse. "Oh come the FUCK on—"
Jade would react swifter, however, soil kicked up as the gas pipes below erupted with flame. As far as any of them could see into the moonlit sky, bits of pipe, dirt and loose pieces of Impulsor Armor flying high into the air.
BOOM
Standing there, right palm to the source of the eruption, Jade protectively stood between the SADAFOR patrol and her friends, an eerie flickering glow of flame from behind her framed teashade glasses.
The blast had thrown the group of SADAFOR troopers roughly against the dirt, a few of them knocked out cold, others groaning in pain, stunned in the afterglow. A light trickle of blood descended from Jade's eyes, akin to tears — and for a moment she held her head, staggering back. Was she overexerting herself?
"You good—" Jerry's question was pretty much ignored by Jade, as she gestured to the firearms.
"Grab those PBWs. We're moving."
Fetching the rifles and discarding their magazines — none of them carried the intent to kill — they fled the scene, leaving their pursuers behind with haste...
Just like laser tag.
Akhmanar Empire
