NOVEL NEXT 174 - Urgent Care
The wind whipped through my trenchcoat as I fell from the sky.
A man grown in a lab to be a killer. Demonic blood and nanomachines. Hi-tech weaponry and synapse-linked cybernetics. Inventive firepower and subtle magic. Experience born of bloodshed. My heart was pounding like a speeding freight train, thundering through my metal chest.
I hit the roof of the hospital and rolled several times to disperse the force of my landing. My legs hummed with power as I righted myself, just in time to see Roxy land close by. Her feet cracked the stone, not caring to land as safely as I had. Already, her hands rose into the air.
Our plan was simple. I stepped toward her as she brought her fists down onto the roof. It shattered, and we fell down through an entrance of our own making. My gun-arm snapped out and struck the floor below with a Quake shot. We landed together amidst broken ceiling and pulsing waves of V-Force energy.
Despite having had a good look at the schematics, I was still slightly disappointed to have arrived in a small room rather than a wide open space. The Hospital had thirteen floors, including two basement levels, and most of them were winding corridors with dozens upon dozens of small recovery rooms.
Our landing spot was a small ward of six beds, three a side. Just frames and old mattresses, as this top floor was still being refurbished. No enemy personnel.
"Thirteen is a lot of floors to cover," Roxy said, her brow furrowed as she endured the Quake reverberations. "Even if they had a receiving teleporter set up."
Clara believed such technology would leave residual energy waves or magical particles in the air. My racing mind found it equally likely that the Gov had the tech to reduce those giveaway signals. Didn't really matter right now.
[We'd better introduce ourselves to someone. Quickly.]
Chamber opened up, ejecting the spent cartridge. A new one materialized from our home warehouse. We had some emergency methods of keeping my adrenaline running if we couldn't find enough combat to keep me chugging along. All had diminishing returns or a long enough refractory period that would likely put me out of action for the rest of the day.
Violence was the only answer.
Roxy didn't even stop to acknowledge my request. She turned and kicked out the door leading to the corridor, stepping through with fists clenched. I could sense the mood radiating from her even without my bardic proficiencies. It was just like whenever we had a mission outside the city. Some apprehension, but the collar was off. Unleashed and with a clear goal in mind. I followed.
It was likely I'd lose some of my senses to delirium or mania soon enough. My body was already being stretched to the limit, and whatever drugs I had been pumped with could only do so much. Uncomfortably, I was almost looking forward to pleading insanity. With no teeth to grind, my eyes ate up the sights as we continued to the staircase.
The interior of the hospital was rather gloomy. Light fittings either hadn't been finished, or the electricity for this floor was off. Walls had a fresh coat of slightly off-white. Empty message boards and vacant outlets lined the long corridor. Two more similar wards coming up on either side of us just ahead, and then there were a dozen or so single rooms.
North of us was an emergency operating room for patients that arrived via helicopter. We'd need to check that area before heading down, just in case we-
[Duck.]
Roxy dove to the side as I rolled. The crack of a sniper rifle echoed over us as part of the wall far behind our position exploded. My gun-arm rose as I righted into a crouched position. Before I could get a good eye on the shooter down the corridor, some of the single rooms burst open, and goons dressed from head to toe in tactical gear stepped into position.
Smoke grenade popped from my vest as I dove through a curtained window to the left. The glass shattered as the squad lit up the gray cloud with fire. Assault rifles, from the sounds of it. A loud crunch of stone came from across the way, as Roxy had punched her own doorway into the ward on the right of the corridor.
Not a bad start. It got my heart beating, at least. The topmost floor was likely to have less resistance than the floors below. Communications and snipers. So far, I was right on the money. A brief map appeared in my left eye, showing my position. Roxy wasn't just sitting around waiting for me to act. Judging by the red dot moving ahead, she was continuing to make her own path through the walls.
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Rather rude to try to steal all the fun. I moved away from the broken glass of the window and stepped over to the door. My fingers flexed as I checked the map once more.
Patience was difficult, but I knew the prize was worth savoring. I took one deep breath and kicked the door off the hinges. Stepped out into the smoke just as Roxy exploded the walls near the group of goons. My grapple had already hit the ground near them, and I zipped forward.
Flash shot fired from my right arm as I emerged from the cloud of gray filling the corridor. A couple of the defenders blindly shot in my direction, peppering the surrounding walls. Most were either shocked by the bright light or turning their attention to the surprise appearance of the super.
Roxy grabbed the closest to her, pulling the gun from their hands. I wanted the first kill, however.
I got it.
Like a rocket, I collided with the group. V-Force empowering my limbs, I thrust my metal fist forward into the mask of the blinded target at the forefront of the group. His head snapped back, neck breaking and his tac-mask shattering into pieces. He flung backward several feet, knocking another scout down.
Roxy head-butted her prey, denting their helmet in through their skull like a chicken's egg. We moved with experience and ruthless efficiency. I fired solid steel balls through soft targets, or broke limbs with cybernetic kicks and punches. The super pulled the rest apart as she was a spoiled kid tired of her dolls.
After putting a High Explosive shot through the neck of the sniper down the hall, the corridor fell into silence. Blood dripped from the broken forms of those who had stood in our way, creating rivers of crimson.
It didn't satiate me, however.
//Clara: Uniform is unknown. Not any group present normally in Goldarch.
//Clara: Nor are they dressed like World Government military.
//Clara: Their equipment suggests experience and funding, however.
//Clara: Will keep you updated, Gunquake.
"Probably private military." Roxy grimaced as she wiped her bloody hands on the wall. "Fuckers clearly had some training, but not against supers."
[Fodder. They have plans for us; I am sure of it.]
"That's why you wanted to clear the place, huh?" With her brow furrowed, she squinted down the hall. "They might have some tech or a special unit intending to surround us?"
[Correct. Let's move.]
We had the power between us to drop straight to the basement, exploding half the building and any goons lying in wait. Knowing that this was likely a trap meant that we couldn't be that reckless, even if it was efficient. I had a feeling I wasn't the only one who had found out about the mysterious metal ore that ignored superpowers.
After all, Boss had been the one to supply me with Sanguine stakes.
Given my past as Bard, it was likely the group with the World Government that had us kill supers would be responsible for producing that kind of ammunition. Part of me even wondered if Chevalier had some of that baked into his armored suit or weapons. Silhouette and I hadn't been as effective as normal… but perhaps I was assigning my exhaustion to ghost stories.
Either way, I was certain the group here holding Boss had options for dealing with us. While my mind racing a mile a minute could come up with all sorts of ingenious methods, the simple conclusion was that we had to check every floor. Thirteen layers of hell.
At least, if we wanted to keep Boss alive.
I had toyed with several ideas. Leaving him here and not taking the bait. Destroying the building, him included. But there was something about saving him that spoke to me. A challenge, maybe. The Gov wanted to stop me, and it was my duty to show them the error of their ways. Some closure might be nice as well.
Roxy blew through another wall, creating our own shortcut to the north side of this floor. She hadn't brought out any lava yet, but she was radiating heat. It wasn't just her promise to stick by my side keeping her here stomping along with this reckless plan. The super had seen with her own eyes what five years under Boss' care had done to me. She had a bone or two to pick.
Hopefully not from the rubble of our ill-advised mischief here.
"This space is empty." Roxy flexed out her hand as she looked for the next wall to punch. "Possible past activity, though."
There were lines through the middle of this new corridor. Like a box or perhaps some sort of wheeled trolley had been dragged through here. Maybe equipment for the people here.
//Clara: Some updates.
//Clara: The group is known as Fading Storm.
//Clara: Not especially noteworthy in the grand scheme of things.
//Clara: The founders, however, are A-Rank equivalent.
[There's a good chance we'll have a little fun then.]
"Not exactly the word I'd use… but blowing off some steam would be good."
//Clara: I'd exercise caution. While not experienced in fighting supers, they have a clear purpose here.
Unfortunately, I was getting too antsy to take that to heart. My uncompromising and constant bursts of adrenaline were causing me to sweat profusely. If I had a stomach full of food, I probably would have emptied it by now. I needed to find the next squad of targets to mow through.
[Let's follow the line and see where it leads us.]
Roxy gave me a nod and took the lead. Against firearms, it made more sense for her to be in front. My personal shield had recovered, but had sustained some minor damage in the fight against Chevalier. The current close-quarters was to our benefit, but that wouldn't last forever. Further below, the wards were larger, and there were other more spacious areas.
//Clara: Drone will be joining you shortly.
Simple enough. A way to scan visually through the next floor would make our progress a little easier. My own mental capacity for routing out potential danger wasn't working like usual. The Arena had totally burned out those senses. There could be magic or tech running on the other side of the wall, and I wouldn't even-
The wall beside us exploded, and Roxy stumbled away, head jerking to the side. A sniper shot. Blood splattered across the opposite wall. As I raised my fist in retaliation, the super slumped to the floor.