Tires slashing through muck and rock as Cass speeds through the broken and reclaimed roads through the city. 

Cass slides around a building as three more sets of tires squeal behind him. Two bikers match Cass’ speed and surround his bike with one trailing behind. 

“Can we talk about this?” Cass said as each biker lifts their hand toward him and their palms open to reveal a hole in the center. Light begins to fill the hole and with a split reaction, Cass leaps off his bike as two streams of fire launch out of their hands.

Cass reverts in mid-air and his arm transforms into his arm cannon. He twists his body and fires a shot in each bike's gas tank and explodes in glorious rainbow fire and smoke. He lands back on his bike as he emerges from the flame.

Cass slams through the glass entrance of an abandoned mall and flies from the second floor and tosses his bike into a pile of clothes in an old clothing store.

He spins on his heels and settles on his knees with his gun hand pointed at the entrance he emerged from. He focuses his breath and steadies his heart. Each beat pulses in his ear drums until the silence surrounds him.

The silence doesn’t last as the noise of engines engulfs the entire room. Two bikers come flying out of the door. Cass fires two shots but the bikers ditch their bikes and land beside him. He instantly drops his gun and is engulfed in metal. The two bikers, each dressed like the other bikers half. Black and white clothing split down the middle, each the mirror of the other.

Both bikers remove their jackets as steam begins emitting from their skin. “Flames are only one use for the fire.” said the left one. “Allow us to show you the second!” said the right one as he spins his legs so fast that the blur of a leg slams into Cass’ chest before he could see it. 

Cass stands unmoved as he grips the man's leg. “Speed doesn’t mean anything if you aren’t strong enough to do any damage.” He said as he lifts the right biker into the air and dropkicks him into a wall. 

The left biker flickers in front of Cass, closing the distance in a second. He begins to slam his fists into Cass’ stomach and manages to make a dent but Cass swings his arms around him and squeezes until he stops. 

Cass drops him as the right biker stands back on his feet. He allows fire to engulf his hands as he speeds toward Cass. He echoes the left biker's movements and hits the same spot and the armor begins to slightly melt as he does. 

“Now that is more effective!” Cass said as he twists his whole body and slams his fist into the man’s chest and he goes flying into a nearby concrete pillar and falls down hard. 

Cass hears more engines coming and reverts back as he grabs his bike. “Smiley?”

Smiley appears next to him, “Is now a good time to talk?”

Cass looks around the bike until he finds a small circular port. “I knew he’d have one!” He taps the middle and a small drone folds out of the bike and floats next to the it. “Can you possess this? Like you did with the knight?”

Smiley looks closely at it before tapping it and disappearing. “Looks like I can.” Smiley says as the drone springs to life and starts flying in circles.

“Smiley! I need you to look outside and tell me how many are coming.”

“Can do.” Smiley floats up and out of the doorway. Outside, barreling toward the building, are four bikers including the one survivor from the first trio. “Four bikers!” and trailing behind is the leader of the HellsHounds. “And the rude one that tried burning you before!”

“Five total. Alright! Come back down and go back to the bike.” Cass said as he looked around the building. Deeper into the mall, he sees a hanging circular advertisement board. 

Smiley floats down as Cass activates his gun arm again. “I have a plan, tricky but possible.” Cass said as Smiley exits the drone and floats next to him. “Half a plan is better than none.”

Cass grabs the bike and walks it a few feet before he shoots all the anchors of the hanging advertisement board except one. The engine noises get much louder as Cass roars his engine to life and launches off as four bikers come flying down beside him. 

Cass fires his gun at the ground in front of the bikers, causing them to back up a few feet behind him. When he gets close enough, he fires his gun at the final anchor and the board comes crashing down. The edge barely misses Cass by a hair and smashes into all four bikers. The board ignited into a beautiful rainbow flame as bike pieces flew with trails of colorful flame in all directions. 

A roaring engine cuts through the flame like moonlight through the darkness. The right hand of the HellsHounds comes through the flame and lands in step with Cass.

“I’m not letting you go so easily!” He screamed as they both cracked through the glass entrance on the other side of the mall. Cass weaves through cars and half destroyed buildings to lose him but the demon stays right on his tail. His face screams of rage and murderous intent.

Cass takes a final gamble as he drifts into a half collapsed building that is perfectly molded into a ramp by time. He pulls the throttle as hard as he can and soars into the air. 

The demon lifts his legs onto his bike and leaps from it to land on Cass. “I’m going to kill you!” He hollered as they landed back on their wheels.

He starts punching Cass in the ribs and he aims his arm back to shoot him but Infernus pulls Cass’ arm back to anchor himself as he swings his body around Cass’ waist until they are face to face.

“You killed my men and that means you die by fire!” Infernus said as he lifts his arms to Cass’ face and light begins to gather in the barrels. 

Time slows, the flames trickle at the edge of the barrel as Cass pushes off the bike and it takes Infernus with it. With just enough distance to fit his full arm, Cass places his hand over Infernus’ chest and fires two silver bullets through his chest.   

Infernus and the bike tumble and he dies before he even finishes falling. Cass runs over to the bike, picks it up and tries to turn it on and the engine fires up. “Sock really knows how to make ‘em.” He said as he spun off to the Gunpowder Nursery.

“Smiley! Check if there are anymore.” He said as he took out the drone and tossed it behind himself. The drone flickers to life and floats into the air.

The remaining bikers stop at the body of Infernus, pick him up and place him on one of the bikes and turn around to leave. “Looks like they are done fighting. They are taking Infernus’ body away.”

Smiley follows Cass until he slows down and pulls the bike into a nearby building and reverts to base form. He floats the drone back into its spot before exiting. “This it?” 

Cass and Smiley leave the building and as they crest over the hill, the Gunpowder Nursery comes into view. “I think so. I’m surprised that Infernus was telling the truth considering all that mess.”

Smiley floats down to the ground and stands next to Cass. “I’m guessing that it was a genuine answer and the first ‘attack’ was just a reaction to Rage. The A.I.”

“I do feel a bit bad for all that but he attacked me so what can you do?” Cass said as he shrugged.

The duo walk toward the town. It’s clear that a nuclear level device detonated here but revealed a natural spring that has mutated into a multi-colored pool system that the Knights have built a medieval style town around.

Cass stares in amazement at the colosseum, “He definitely down played that.”

Where he imagined a makeshift arena stood a massive monument to the Knight’s sheer will. The vehicles are stacked and partially melted to form solid bricks of steel and rubber. The walls are tall and carved to look like the ancient roman colosseum.

Smiley stands with his mouth agape. “The sheer skill and manpower it would take to do this. I thought everyone out here in the wastes were gangs, criminals, and simple folk but this is a genuine marvel.”

Cass looks over and sees a small green beetle looking man standing at one of the entrances. “Looks like that is our best bet to get in, let’s go.” He said as he marched down the hill and toward the entrance.