Collision Course II

To the side, Mist, with Dread in a headlock, stares at us, and Elemental and Artee look at each other in surprise, hands clamped on shirts and noses bleeding. Luc looks around, confused, having been advancing on Kino, who was pressed against the wall, terrified.

"For fuck's sake," Ronin groans. "Nice to see you guys again. Now get the hell off me."

"Oh, sorry," I say.

So, we've been reunited with the others! I'm about to hug Artee when suddenly he grabs Elemental's arm, a wild look in his eyes.

"We need to go, NOW!" he exclaims, tugging 004 behind him.

"Artee, wait, calm down!" Elemental tries, but Artee doesn't give us time.

"He's right we need to get out of here," Mist says, releasing Dread, who collapses, coughing. "Reunions and greetings can come later."

"What's happening!?" Krim demands.

"They're friends!" I say, "Don't fight!"

"We need to leave!" Kino says, inching past an angry-looking Luc.

"Wait, what's happening?" Neo demands, climbing to his feet.

"We were being chased," Artee says desperately, scrambling down the pile of rocks. "By those crazy bastards, this whole fucking time!"

And only now I notice, the old, festering cuts and slashes on their bodies, dried blood caking their clothes and hollow, exhausted eyes. They look terrible. No time to waste.

"Carry Mist!" I yell, and Leon scoops her up.

I grab Ronin and help him down towards the hollow.

"Shouldn't we fight!?" Luc demands.

"I don't know what's going o-"

"It's too late," Artee says, apprehensive. "They caught up."

I whirl around, and at the other end of the tunnel, a group of people are silhouetted against the light.

"Shit," Artee cursed under his breath. "I was hoping…"

"Who are they?" Krim asks, turning around to face them, now heading towards us.

Mist's teeth clench as she readies a small, sharp pebble between her fingers.

"001," she says. "It's 001 and his giant group."

Oh. So it's Airo. I was wondering where that guy went… that weird guy with the permanent smile and mismatched eyes, who gave me the creeps.

They're coming, About twenty-five people, sauntering through the collapsed, narrow tunnel. They stop about thirty feet away, and one guy comes forwards. Even in the dark, I can see it - his single scarily bright pale yellow eye.

"Airo," I say.

The guy stirs.

"Oh, you know me? That makes things easier then."

His voice is light, almost playful, and really throws me off. Like all of this doesn't mean anything to him at all.

"What do you want?" Elemental asks, putting out a hand in front of me, teeth clenched and angry. 

If I remember, Elemental was almost killed by Airo and Avoma before… seems like we won't be able to avoid a clash with the guy who's at the top of the food chain right now.

"Oh? I recognize that voice. Where could I have heard it before?" Airo voice muses, echoing eerily off the walls. "Eh, if I don't remember then it must've not been important."

Elemental twitches.

"What we want?" he continues. "It seems you've got some of our prey there. Hand 'em over, there's no need to fight."

Krim glances at me, eyes cold, and my skin crawls. I almost forgot. Krim's group has never met Artee and co before. To them, they're complete strangers. They must not think it's worth risking their lives fighting against 001's group for these people they've just met. I look at Neo and Elemental. We might have to fight our own friends…

"Sword, what's you guys' relationship with each other?" Leon asks from behind me.

I pause. I haven’t known them for that long but…

"Friends," I say, sweeping my eyes round and everyone. "We're friends."

Krim nods.

"That's enough."

"Aggh, who fucking cares!?" Luc snaps, before jabbing a finger at the other group. "Do they look they'll let us go even if we do hand them over!?"

"No, no," Airo wafts. "We really do want to avoid conflict."

"Bullshit."

"Airo, wait!" I call. "It's me. We met in the caves outside the pits remember?"

"Hmmm? No, I don't remember."

"You-"

"Sword, he has no intention of listening," Mist says. "That guy, he's cruel, vicious and bloodthirsty. We should get ready to run or fight."

Airo's silhouette twitches.

"That's a bad opinion of me you got there."

"Can we help it?" Artee demands angrily. "You've chased us relentlessly for the past few days."

"Because you keep running."

"So you want us to lay down and die?"

"Yes."

There's an awkward silence, then Airo loosens up.

"Haaaah," he sighs. "Man."

He twirls something long and thing between his fingers, almost as long as he is tall.

"I don’t like talking, so just drop dead, will ya?"

Weapons are drawn.

"Fuck, are we really doing this?" Neo mutters.

"No other way past it!" Luc laughs loudly, banging his knuckledusters together in a shower of sparks. "I was looking for something to blow off some steam on anyway!!"

Then, there's a shrill whistling, and my eyes widen.

"GET DOWN!"

A barrage of sharpened rocks hit the cave walls where my head had been seconds ago, and the noise booms across the tunnel like thunder. Luc doesn't listen. He never does.

Instead, he runs straight into the hail of bullet-like rocks, several of them piercing his skin, but he doesn't stop. With a yell, he crashes into the enemy line like a freight train. One guy goes flying into the wall with a grunt, blood spatters and I hear a bone break. He roars and attacks again, but the something slams into Luc's chest and he takes a step backwards. A huge, long, blunt stone axe of sorts. A polearm. The thrower grips the handle. A huge frame that towers above even Luc. 002, Avoma.

"Don't step out of line, little man," he rumbles, whirling the polearm with ridiculous speed. "You're too cocky."

"HAH!" Luc bellows. "COME THE FUCK ON THEN!!!"

He grabs the end of the polearm, brings his fist down on the shaft, and it splinters under his hand.

"AVOMA!" someone yells.

Then the shapes are running towards us, yelling, weapons drawn, and we're rising up to meet them, and all hell breaks loose.

In the dark, illuminated only by the slightly phosphorescent fungi, a messy and chaotic battle ensues.

Everyone's fighting, a mass of writhing bodies and struggling people, and the noise rises as people scream and shout. A clear, almost metallic sound cuts through everything, and I look over to see Elemental and Airo collide. No screaming, rage or taunts, just two monsters moving too fast for the eye to follow.

"Holy-" I begin, but can't finish cuz someone grabs me from behind.

I drive an elbow backwards and split it in their teeth, then whirl around and bash him between the eyes with the hilt of one of my swords. He crumples, then pain sears along my arm as another slash opens up my skin. Neo appears out of nowhere, knives flashing, and takes the second guy's throat in a shower of blood. Gurgling, the guy sinks slowly to the floor.

"Watch your back!" he snaps, breathing hard.

Behind him, up on a boulder, Mist is sniping people in the crowd, and she hits someone square in the face. A crack echoes, then a scream. Krim's kicks are everywhere, each one ending in a crunch. Leon's axe bites into a shoulder. Ronin's yelling something I can't hear.

Through the chaos, I catch sight of a young women with stormy eyes and auburn hair tied back in a ponytail, streaking through the chaos, dual shortswords flashing. The same weapons as mine. She's going for mist. Everyone else is occupied, so I take off, running, dodge Artee and another guy grappling past. Then someone gets in my way.

"NO YOU DON'T!"

They swing a hatchet and it nearly takes off my face.

"Who the fuck are you!?" I demand desperately.

"Lee," he says simply. "083."

He goes for me again and I block him. He's not especially skilled but it's enough for the auburn girl to get in and jump up. Mist's eyes widen.

"NOO!" I yell.

There's a spurt of blood as the auburn girl slashes. I score a punch to Lee's temple and push past him.

"MIST!"

Then I see her. She's caught both of the auburn lady's swords with her bare hands, blood running down her arms.

"JJQ!" she growls.

"You've been a real bother all this time!" JJQ, the auburn lady says. "So die!!"

She swings again, and Mist reels back. I muster the power in my legs and launch myself upwards, crashing into JJQ from the side, catching her completely off guard. She tumbles down the boulder but lands on her feet, glaring up. I don't have time to fight her, and Leon takes it up anyway, dual hatchets on shortswords.

"Mist!"

She's bleeding from cuts on her abdomen, where JJQ's landed hits, but it doesn't seem too deep.

"I'm fine, go!"

I comply, leap off the boulder and rejoin the fray. Everything's blinding even though it's dark. I can't tell who's friend, who's enemy.

Then the tunnel tremors, and dust showers from the roof.

"GET BACK!!" Elemental yells urgently.

Then the first chunk of roof falls and hits the ground with the bang.

"CAVE IN!!" I scream. "EVERYONE GOOO!!!"

Airo hears it too, and they break apart, seconds before the centre of the tunnel explodes and collapses inwards.

"RUN! RUN INTO THE TUNNEL!!" Elemental bellows. "FOCUS ON SURVIVING!!"

Someone catches my arm and pulls me, it's Neo.

"Let's get out!"

The roof above us starts caving in all around us, and before Neo wrenches me into a side-passage I cast one last glance back at the battlefield. Krim, Artee, Luc, Ronin, everyone, I can't see them anymore… but through the rain of rocks and haze of dust, I see him. My eyes meet Airo's.

He sees me, and raises his weapon, and long, 8 foot spear, in salute.

"Until next time," he grins, voice reaching me even above the thunderous crashing.

Then he's gone and we dive into the tunnel.