Peacekeepers #5 (of 6)
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Detention Centre of Criminally Insane Carriers, Just outside of Indigo City
Origami plunged the blade down towards his victim, his folded heart racing at the thought of feeling alive for one brief moment before returning to the curse of being unable to touch another person, to have express emotions. In that brief moment he was so unfocused on Amelia, that he didn’t see her duck down to check the wiring panel under the main control surface, and thus plunged his hands into the steel casing of the control console.
“What was that?” Amelia asked, as she watched the guardsman take a few steps back with a tiny mirror from her tool kit. With a gasp she saw the man’s body contort and twist until he transformed into a humanoid origami figure, his hands sharpened into blades. “You’re a carrier, one of the prisoners I guess.” She stated, with Origami nodding. “I’m more valuable as a hostage, you could use me to get out of here.”
Origami shook his head, a few inkblots moving across his paper skin showing a conversation between two men, and then five letters, before the surface was whipped blank. Grabbing a long handled socket wrench Amelia braced herself as Origami ran at her. Swiping at her attacker, Amelia felt something sharp slice across her cheeks, as Origami leapt over her clumsy attack and landed on her shoulders, his weight, while not anywhere near that of a human man, forcing her to her knees, the wrench falling to the floor. “Please don’t kill me.” Amelia sobbed, as Origami vaulted off her shoulders and held a blade to her throat. Taking a step back Origami gestured for Amelia to pick up the wrench again, his head bowed either in sorrow or respect of his opponent.
“What do you want from me?” Amelia cried, as she watched Origami shift into a replica of herself.
“Better to die a noble death for both out sakes.” The Origami Amelia stated. “This is not personal.” She added, as her body folded back to the form it had just shifted out of. Picking up the wrench and getting to her feet, Amelia watched as Origami came striding towards her, before dropping the tool to the floor with a clatter and diving backwards onto the control panel, her arms held out wide.
“Biological venting procedure activated.” A computerised voice stated, as fans mounted in the wall sprung to life, the wind locking Origami to the middle of the room. Not even waiting to see what she had accomplished Amelia ducked into the wiring panel and wrenched out the systems electrolysis cell before hurling it into the chamber, the heavy battery hitting Origami in the chest and pining him to the floor. Wading through the wind to the door, Amelia tugged at the manual lock and pulled the door open, before slamming it shut, just as the fans shut down inside the refuge chamber.
“What the hell am I meant to do now?” Amelia gasped, as something struck the porthole with an amazing amount of force, the glass cracking from the blow as Origami tried to break his way through. As a second blow struck the porthole, Amelia started running back the way she had come, up into the prison. Behind her a third blow struck the porthole causing a chip of glass the size of a thumbnail to fall out, peering through it Origami unravelled himself, before sending strand after strand through the hole until finally he was out on the other side, his body folding into that of an origami panther, before starting the pursuit once again.
**
Xiphos Bio-Technology Building, Scahill Technologies Campus, Just Outside of Indigo City
Stallion slammed into the lab door as Daddy Wrong Legs threw him across the room. Groaning he got to his feet, only to see the Carrier rip up a lab-table and charge towards him with his ad-hoc shield. Ducking under his foe, Stallion jabbed Daddy Wrong Legs with his stun stick, electricity shooting up and down Clive’s body. With a hiss Clive grabbed his foe, and slammed him into the ceiling.
“You’re out gunned cowboy!” Clive snarled, just as Stallion aimed a kick into his holder’s eyes, before being thrown to the floor.
“You were saying cockroach!” Stallion grumbled, as he removed his sidearm and opened fire, the bullets ricocheting off Clive’s body.
“ENOUGH!!” Torres snapped, her eyes glowing red as what was left of her hair dropped out and she fell to the floor. “ENOUGH!!” She snarled, as she collapsed coughing. “We have plenty of enemies outside of the four of us!” She snapped, as Mayday screamed, the parasite crawling onto her skin and clamping down onto her body, blue liquid streaking though her blood vessels. “Holy…” Before she could finish blue smoke erupted from Mayday’s mouth and nose, whilst the arm the parasite was attached too crystallized. With a roar Clive reached out and snapped the arm off, throwing it to the floor, the limp convulsing where it lay before splitting open as a multi-limbed soft shelled worm like creature slithered out.
“Now will you kill it!?” Stallion yelled, as the worm scuttled towards where Torres was bent over coughing up blood. Stepping in Clive spat a glob of acid at the worm, its body dissolving on contact with the chemical. “Oh man it’s not over!” Stallion yelled, as the arm collapsed and more of the segmented parasites exploded outwards, several of them latching onto Daddy Wrong legs and crawling up his arms and legs.
“Yeah now we can kill them!” Clive yelled, as Stallion raked the stun stick down his team-mates arm, the electricity detaching the parasites until they were all lying on the floor in a squirming heap. “Stand back!” He ordered, as he spat on the pile, the parasites dissolving in a puff of blue smoke. “I thought it was dead, I’m sorry man.”
“Yeah, its fine, how did the Director know how to destroy them though?” Stallion asked, as he bent down next to Torres. “Torres and May are hurt, I think I’ve got a broken rib as well.”
“We have more than that, when that parasite was attached to me I learnt about it. They evolved far away as a hive species and a parasite on the locals. Looking through their neural network I saw Cassie, she’s at an Industrial Waste Facility somewhere near the Iron Circle.” Mayday coughed, as she held the crystallized stump of her arm.
“First we get Torres to a hospital.” Stallion ordered, just as Torres’s back split and two long bony limbs complete with black feathers emerged. “Uh Torres?” He gulped, as she turned to face her, a black mask and jet black biological armour forming down her arms, chest and legs. “You okay?”
“I’m fine, now let’s go find my bloody girlfriend!” Torres replied, as the lab door swung open.
**
Detention Centre of Criminally Insane Carriers, Just outside of Indigo City
Amelia rounded the corner into the central holding area, almost slipping over as she headed towards the control room three levels above her. Despite the cells being open she had seen little sign of the inmates, save for Bronze Whaler and a man she had tentatively identified as the Krait squeezing into the water processing part, possibly hoping to escape by water rather than risk moving on the surface in full sight of the CBTF. Regaining her footing, Amelia felt something rubbery expand outwards and grab her, before reeling her across the metal floor back to an inmate, a ‘Glasgow smile’ carved onto his face.
“Get off me!” Amelia snapped, as she kicked the man, only for her blow to bounce off his rubbery hide.
“You’re a little too old for my liking.” The inmate said in a bubbling voice. “But my friend the Gadfly doesn’t discriminate.” He added, as a second inmate, this one looking like a humanoid fly swung down from the floor above, its mandibles clicking as it stalked towards her. As the ‘fly’ advanced on the pair of them it cocked its head, and turned to see a jet of flame wash over where it was standing. Screaming in pain, the Gadfly leapt off the gantry, as a female inmate carrying a flame-thrower came running towards Amelia.
“Duck!” She ordered, as she dropped the flame-thrower and removed a handgun from the belt she had stolen. Following orders, Amelia ducked as her ‘saviour, opened fire, the bullet slamming into her captor and exploded, his body convulsing from the impact.
“Who are you?” Amelia asked, as the woman handed her a shotgun that had been slung over her shoulder.
“Name’s Kobold, and you need to get the security system online.” The inmate stated, as all around them the remaining inmates peered over the gantries or out of the open cells.
“You heard her, she’s trying to get the power online.” Collins stated, as a rifle shot sounded from the command centre and a woman with warty skin and big bulging eyes emerged. “Come on people, this isn’t a spectator sport!” She boomed, as she opened fire again, just as Amelia and Kobold ran across the gantry. Reaching half way, they stopped as razors began to grow out of the floor and hand rails, effectively hemming them in.
“Razor Wire!” Kobold spat, as she spotted a grey haired inmate below them focusing on where they were standing. “Over the edge!” She yelled, as she vaulted down to the floor below. Gulping loudly Amelia followed her, the impact of her landing jarring up her leg as a group of four carriers surrounded her. Desperately she pulled the trigger of the shotgun, the blow striking Queen Cowrie in the stomach and knocking her aside, as Kobold blasted Razor Wire.
“Keep an eye on your shot counter, the paralytic toxin on these bullets puts the down for only a short time.” Kobold called, as Amelia took a shot at a hooded carrier with long bony fingers, only for the round to phase through him. “Holy…” Her cry was muffled, as an obese rubbery woman with green skin expanded her mouth and swallowed her. Spinning round Amelia watched as the inmates closed in on her, the charge led by Origami, his paper body flushed with red ink as the woman who ate Kobold burped loudly.
“You okay Body Bag?” The hooded carrier asked. With a hiss Body Bag exploded in a blue flash, as Kobold emerged, her skin glowing blue. Shaking his head, the hooded carrier swiped at her, only to recoil in pain, his fingers on fire.
“Killahertz, Siphon go deal with that woman!” Collins barked, as Origami folded into his human form and silently bowed to Amelia before folding into a bird shape, his wings carrying him to the exits.
“Paper Face has the right idea!” Killahertz boomed, “I ain’t going down there when I can leave this pit.” He buzzed, as he leapt up towards the top level of the pit. The man standing next to him looked up towards the fleeing inmates, took a deep breath from the armoured tubes sticking out of his neck and followed Origami and Killahertz’s example.
“Come on while they are disorganised.” Kobold told Amelia, as she grabbed the engineer under the arms and took to the air, a blue contrail following her as they headed up to the same level as the control room. Almost immediately bullets rang out as the two figures hunkered down in the bunker opened fire. “Those two are a problem, but the real threat is Faraday,” Kobold explained, as a carrier flew level with the gantry supported by a whirlwind of grit and sand. With a buzzing hiss, the Carrier sent a wave of dust towards Kobold, her body cooling on contact with the sand. “Go!” She ordered, as Amelia went to help her.
“Okay, Faraday, People with Guns and the Radioactive Woman.” Amelia mumbled as she opened fire with her shotgun, the projectiles spreading the pair of shooters just as a misshapen figure clambered onto the gantry between Amelia and the bunker.
“Grotesque doesn’t like you!” The lumpy Carrier grunted, as Amelia took a shot, the blow ricocheting off her foes body. Screaming like a banshee, Amelia opened fire again, emptying the magazine into Grotesque until eventually the person blocking her path fell. Jumping over the fallen carrier, Amelia skidded into the control room, only to find herself looking down the rifle barrels of Collins and the four pistols held by Triple Threat.
“Too far Miss. I really do admire your moxie.” Collins stated, as she lowered her weapon. “Go on press the button.” She stated, as she stepped out of the way of the control panel. Cautiously Amelia reached for the button, only for a blast of electricity to lance out and send her crashing out the reinforced window and back onto the gantry where Kobold was being beaten by a figure surrounded by a whirling tornado of grit. “Finish them quick Dust Devil, we don’t have time to mess around with traitors and heroes.” She hissed, as Dust Devil fused some of the grit together to form a pair of rugged looking projectiles, each one hovering over the head of the two women. “We are in control of this prison!” She hissed, her words drowned out by an explosion sounding from the roof, masonry showering down around them. “We are in control” she gasped in surprise as CBTF Blackwatch agents repelled down into the bit. “Or we were!”
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