The Metal and crew ran back to their van and made their way to the largest encampment just outside a local Navajo village. They commenced in unpacking the back of the vehicle as their previously established deranged leader broke down as much of his plan as he was willing to share.
“Okay, so here is the deal. Kidd, you are going to take this rifle and stay up on this vantage point with Buck as he captures the entire event with this long-range camera and provide cover fire for us in case things get too hot.”
“You want me to kill those guys?” The Kidd said with an almost sick face.
“Of course not, I thought we already went over this. That mag is filled with tranquilizers whose potency lasts an hour and takes effect within moments.”
“Oh good,” he sighed with relief.
“Come on Sentri, let’s go do this!”
“Do what exactly?”
He didn’t get a reply, instead, he was forced to catch up to The Metal as he scurried down the hillside cloaked in the dark of night. They moved fast and without relent. When they came upon the ten-foot fencing, The Metal slid to a halt and acted as a springboard for his friend. As Sentri flew over he saw The Metal leaping through the air gaining on him. The men sneaked their way past the patrol and around the sides of the buildings until they reached a quickly constructed storage facility labeled: Special Clearance Only. The Metal punched the control panel and they forced the door open. Not even a second on the inside and sirens went off.
“Well, shoot.”
“What did you expect to happen?”
“Just about that, only I was still hoping it wouldn’t.”
“Now what?”
“Take this and shoot anyone you see in either the chest or the head,” he said pulling out a blue and white pistol and throwing it to Sentri while he kept a red and black duplicate. “Don’t worry, they don’t shoot bullets so you won’t need to worry about their lives.”
“Do these even shoot anything? They are light as a feather and don’t even have an opening for a clip, magazine, or a single bullet.”
“Hahahaha, a true work of art ain’t it. I really have to give him credit this time. I told Pitaya I wanted a way to incapacitate someone from a distance, but I absolutely dread guns. Meet the Azrael and Uriel Electromagnetic Psionic Pistols. Instead of bullets, the EPPs used the living energy of its user to fire condense, concussive, electromagnetic blasts based on the user's own mental fortitude. The ammo is virtually limitless, but be careful and make every shot count since your life is its source and can start to take its toll.”
He was finishing up his explanation as the facility filled with armed soldiers. They ducked behind some titanium ammo crates and returned fire upon goons. It was apparent that blind firing wasn’t going to get them anywhere and they needed to get into the other chamber. The Metal turned over to Sentri giving him a serious look and then breaking it with a psychotic smile. His return gesture was one of instant regret, but he took the other pistol from The Metal and followed his lead anyway. The martial artist darted out from behind cover as fast as he could, jumping on and off crates, bouncing off support beams, and distracting as best as he could while avoiding a bullet to the brain. With the focus off of himself, Sentri unwound blast after blast upon the grunts. Within seconds his arms began burning from the pressure of using the EPPs. The Metal, taking out as many units as he could barehanded, signaled his friend and Sentri tossed the guns over. Backflipping and spinning through the air, his barrage of bullets hit like a storm of hail. Sentri wasn’t having as successful of a time barehanded, and while he was still managing The Metal whistled at him and tossed the guns back over. The two danced and flipped around, juggling the guns between each other and confusing the focus of the peons. They fought in sync as if they hand been thinking the same thoughts, or more likely they knew each other long enough to react to the other’s thoughts. It wasn’t long until Sentri took the handle of the gun and knocked out the last goon.
“Um, Metal. I think one got you.”
He looked at his right triceps and noticed the edge was bleeding.
“Darn, one grazed me.”
They both let out a wild laugh. It had been a while since both of them have done something this crazy together. It took them a little bit to let the laughter die down.
“Yo, this just reminds me of how much I hate guns.”
“Oh, because these things were definitely meant just for the guy who never seems to run out of energy.”
“A gun is still a gun. Rather use my feet or fists.”
“Fine, then when this is over give them to me.”
“You can have them now for all I care.”
He tossed the EPP he carried to Sentri and continued to the other room. Within stood a large cage with just a barrel resting in it. They looked around and saw nothing else. After a couple of seconds passing a noise could be heard. The barrel was snoring. The old man had been sleeping in there this whole time. Making the job easier, they unlocked the cage and rolled the barrel out. It seemed like a clean getaway having dispatched pretty much all the soldiers that could do anything about it. They were home free. That is until they nearly reached the front gate. Standing before them was a large man wearing a mechanized power suit that looked like its original purpose was to load and unload shipments but had been repurposed as a weapon like any other practically useful thing ever invented.
“How in the hell that I live in did I have to deal with you today?”
“Hello, again Jerome. How are your pilots?”
“Retired with medals thanks to you. I’d say hand over the alien, but it’s irrelevant since I’m not letting you leave here alive anyway.”
The Metal kicked the barrel and then Sentri out of the way predicting that the colonel would rush him right away without warning. He was sent flying backward into one of the camp structures causing it to collapse on impact. Colonel Jerome Gallagher had issues with both losing and anyone who didn’t take everything seriously, so obviously he had many problems with The Metal. The mech rider waltzed over and lifted him up by his neck, possibly to crush it in the suit’s grip. Then pulses struck his back in rapid succession. He dropped The Metal to see Sentri offering cover fire to his friend. Gallagher launched a short-range missile at him. Of course, Sentri avoided the explosive, but it greatly yielded his ability to return fire since the more he reacts the less energy he has and the larger the strain on his body using the EPPs becomes. Jerome turned back to his target of choice and received and punch to the face. The Metal let off a fury of strikes to his exposed core, nearly knocking the officer off his mechanical feet, but the machine’s leverage was strong. He grabbed The Metal’s leg and tossed him several yards. Jerome ran over to deal more damage but was distracted by a dart suddenly in his neck.
“What the hell,” he snarled.
Upon the hill from his vantage point, The Kidd radioed into the pair of not-so-short-sighted heroes.
“Yo bro, I can’t really tell if this plan of yours is working out or not.”
“Just keep doing what you are doing, I got this.”
The colonel released his right arm from the control sleeve to pull the dart out of his neck. He seemed a bit hazy, but the tranquilizer didn’t look as potent as The Metal claimed it to be.
“Fool, I’m former Special Operations. I’ve been conditioned to resist toxins of all sorts. You’ll have to do better than that.”
“Fine. If you say so,” The Metal responded as he began removing his weights.
Gallagher snickered at the idea of him removing protective armor until he was punched off his feet. The Metal hopped on his chest and pounded on it until Jerome coughed up some blood in a heavy wheeze. He flicked the fighter off him and got up. The colonel didn’t look in such good shape, but neither did The Metal. Jerome sped over to sack the man as hard as he could, but he braced for it and was only forced back seven feet leaving grains in the ground from where his bare feet were gripping it. They exchanged blows, knocking each other around. Eventually, they caught each other’s hands and ended up in a power struggle.
“Just give up, there is no way you can match my power suit in raw strength. You are as good as done.”
The Metal grew pissed and his eyes appeared to almost turn red as he replied, “If there is one thing I can’t stand in this entire existence, it is people telling me what I can and can’t do!”
He stiffened his root and pushed back even harder. The hydraulics in the suit were busting and the titanium began crinkling under the pressure. In a fit of passionate rage, The Metal tore the hands off the end of the mech’s arms and delivered a kick that sent Jerome into the storehouse. He changed the frequency on his headpiece.
“Head on over now.”
He and Sentri pulled the old man out of the barrel, who of course was still sleeping through all this. Then, Colonel Gallagher stormed out of the storehouse and bleeding from his gut charged toward the guys. The Kidd fired off a few more darts, but nothing seemed to slow down this determined career militarian. The Metal entered the game of chicken and ran at him as well. They sprinted with great intensity and just as they were within reach a blinding light came from above. Jerome stopped to see what it was and was awestruck by the alien spacecraft. Reacting in the moment, Sentri hurled the elder traveler into the air above the confused officer. Jerome noticed what was going on and went to reach for him, but only found The Metal’s foot on his face. The young man kicked up off his face after catching the alien and threw him high enough up to be picked up by the ship’s tractor beam. They flew off soon entering hyper speed and all Jerome had to vent out on was the guy responsible next to him.
“This is the last time you cause me trouble, boy. I’m going to rip you apart limb by li-”
He was interrupted when Sentri chucked a pistol at the back of his head.
“You have a gun and you decided to throw it at me instead of firing. Are you an idiot?”
“Nah, I’m feeling pretty smart right about now. Don’t you think so Metal?”
Jerome turned back at The Metal who had caught the EPP on the rebound. The gun was gleaming with a radiance that poured from the barrel as if it were charging up. He winked and made a click with his teeth as he unleashed a blast so big it tore the armor apart as well as Gallagher’s right arm. The Metal blew into the barrel of the gun like he was in a western, tossed it back to Sentri and they headed out the main gate to join up with their other friends. On the way out they heard Jerome speak once more in his remaining moment of consciousness.
“How… how are you even alive?”
“I’m The Metal, bitch.”
Comments (1)
See all