TINA’S TAILORY

AURUS, PRECIDIA - 11:00 PM

Nick and Elena arrive at Tina’s Tailory, content with the time they had at the festival. Awaiting the two on the first floor are Darren and Tina, the latter occupied with cleaning her shop.

“Are you done having fun?” Darren disgruntledly asks, shaming the two demedioms.

“Sorry. We just wanted to enjoy the last night in Aurus before shit goes haywire,” Nick replies.

“Enough dilly-dallying, then. It’s time to get serious now,” replies Darren as Tina walks up, placing a small, metallic box on the ground. The box opens up, clicking and rattling as it reveals a holographic layout of the Aurus Broadcast Station. The inside of twenty floors can be seen, along with alarms and cameras being highlighted by a luminescent white outline.

“This is where you’ll be planting it,” states Tina, pointing to a corner on the fourth floor. Darren unveils a small, rectangular device, handing it over to Elena.

“This is…?” Elena asks, confused at the contraption she currently holds.

“A container that holds several microscopic explosives within. It sets a timer automatically once you place it,” Darren explains.

“Did you get this from E-Drive?”

“Indeed, I requested it with the false intent of speeding up the demolition process of an old building up north.”

“It’s terrifying that something so dangerous can be so easily obtained,” Elena comments.

“Which is precisely why these shitheads need to go down,” Tina remarks as she pulls out a lighter from her purse to light her cigarette.

“Yo, isn’t that dangerous? You’re smoking four feet away from a bomb,” Nick uncomfortably asks.

“Do you underestimate Eternal Drive that much? That explosive is completely immune to outer forces; it can only be detonated by itself,” Darren expounds.

“Alright… What’s next?” Elena asks as she hands Nick the explosive.

“You’ll do it tonight.”

“What? Why didn’t you give us a heads up?!” Nick violently reacts, snapping at the two.

“We did, though it seems as if you paid more attention to the festival than our texts,” Darren replies as Nick and Elena defeatedly stare at each other. Due to their earlier shenanigans in the dock, their phones had died from being submerged in the water.

“We ran into you at the festival and you didn’t even tell us?!” Elena frustratedly asks.

“Was it wrong for me to assume that you two were responsible enough?” Darren condescendingly replies.

“Tonight’s the most ideal time. Most E-Drive soldiers stationed here were either dispatched to Evernight or helping clean up after the festival, leaving the tower mostly unguarded.”

Nick and Elena share brief glances before the former approaches Tina.

“Okay, we’ll do it. But can she at least say her goodbyes? In case shit goes south,” Nick pleads with the two. Elena’s eyes were full of doubt and uncertainty; she had not prepared for this day.

“Just a text,” Tina replies, handing over her phone to Elena who proceeds to text Zico.

“I can’t stress enough how important this is. We’re talking about shaping the future of our nation, and you two are treating it like an afterthought!” Tina scolds the two demedioms.

“Then why the hell didn’t you brief us earlier if it was so important?” Elena retorts, handing the phone back to Tina.

“It was a test of how committed you are. Obviously you failed, but no matter. You’re here now, you’ll be here later, and you’ll cement your legacies that most men dream of having,” Darren replies, easing both parties as he gives Nick and Elena lapel microphones, for them to stay in contact during the mission.

BROADCAST STATION

AURUS, PRECIDIA - 11:17 PM

Before the two demedioms stands a huge tower, which they would soon reduce to rubble. Nick nods at Elena, signalling her to act as a lookout while he tries to ascend the tower, unseen. Elena climbs up a flight of stairs from an adjacent building, being able to see most of Nick’s blindspot. Nick, meanwhile, sends a current of electricity throughout the building, effectively rendering its alarms and security cameras useless. It almost goes out of hand when a nearby apartment starts flashing as well, but Nick manages to control it and leaves the apartment running while the tower is left with near-zero security measures. Nick breaks a window on the first floor by chucking a huge stone, and begins his climb to the fourth floor. Elena continues looking out, seeing nothing out of the ordinary so far as Nick arrives on the second floor.

Upon Nick’s arrival on the third floor, however, Elena begins hearing the roar of propellers from far away; several helicopters had come to the scene. Elena hides in the shadows as she tries contacting Nick through their microphones.

“Nick! There’s about 3 to 4 helicopters flying towards you right now.”

“I’m inside, that shouldn’t be a problem,” Nick confidently replies as he starts trekking to the fourth floor. He finds it barricaded with several beams and metal sheets, forcing him to manifest his greatbow and destroy the barricade manually with a few slashes and a concise kick. Upon stepping through the barricade, several shots fire at him from across the hallway. Nick takes cover from behind the barricade, distraught at the turn of events.

“Shit! There’s people here! Got about 20 dudes on the fourth floor, all armed.”

“Do you need my help?” Elena asks as the helicopters begin closing in. Several armored vehicles also start arriving at the area.

“No, just stay there. If I don’t reply, you run and don’t look back. We got set up,” Nick concludes as he steps through the barricade and shoots three consecutive electrically-charged arrows, spreading electricity throughout the area. Several soldiers are lit up from the attack, while those unaffected continue to shoot. Nick dodges the bullets by speeding through the area, separating his bow into daggers as he charges the attackers. Nick proceeds to slice every last one of the soldiers, while dodging and using human shields to stay safe. With the inside cleared, Nick moves on to the corner, ready to plant the bomb. Just as he attaches the bomb to the wall, every light on the fourth floor suddenly turns on, illuminating the area and compromising Nick’s position, making him visible to the choppers outside. Nick still tries to attach the bomb, before a familiar voice speaks to him from behind.

“You weren’t joking. You really are prepared to die for the cause.”

Nick turns to find mayor Darren Watts behind him, as well as four helicopters in the air surrounding him, one for every corner of the building.

“I should have known. There are no good people in power,” Nick defeatedly replies as he drops the bomb to the floor, realizing it was a counterfeit.

“For what it’s worth, Darren Watts was a good man.” The mayor replies as his face starts to morph, leaving Nick in puzzlement. Darren’s blonde cut eventually turns into bright, teal locks. He had finally shown his true identity; Trent Omega of Eternal Drive.

“Who… the fuck are you?” Nick confusedly asks.

“Will it matter if you know? You’ll be dead in the next minute or so, anyways,” Trent condescendingly answers.

“At least give me closure before I die.”

“There is no closure for those who go against Eternal Drive,” Trent replies, backing up as the helicopter behind Nick fires a missile. A huge, yellow barrier blocks the missile however, spreading shrapnel onto the soldiers at the ground. A wave of golden light begins shining from the ground, separating Trent from Nick. The wave completely lights up as Elena rises from the ground, her blade pointed towards Trent. The scientist glares at Elena, before he continues backing up, breaking a window and jumping onto a helicopter.

“Kill them,” Trent orders as his helicopter begins leaving the area. Meanwhile, Nick and Elena prepare for an assault as they go back to back, ready for Eternal Drive’s counterattack.

“What’s the new plan?”

“We’ll end up getting buried in rubble if we choose to stand our ground here, but at the same time we’re completely surrounded outside,” Elena answers.

“Guess we gotta break even then, huh? We fight here for a while, then escape when their numbers outside have been reduced.”

“That’s the idea,” Elena replies as several soldiers burst through the windows and begin shooting at the two demedioms. Elena and Nick proceed to run through them, slicing them apart while simultaneously deflecting and dodging bullets. One helicopter fires a missile which Elena blocks yet again, as Nick runs to the window, shooting the helicopter with a large arrow. The helicopter malfunctions as a result of overcharging with electricity, crashing down onto the footsoldiers.

With the soldiers distracted, Nick and Elena jump out the fourth floor, landing onto the apartment complex Nick had lit up earlier. They continue running while two helicopters chase them; the two make quick work of the helicopters with Nick shooting one with a large arrow while Elena pierces another with a huge spear of light. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, the two end up at the plaza, where they witness several people rushing towards the broadcast tower to see the ongoing ruckus. Several footsoldiers can also be seen trying to push through them, screaming that the tower is currently off-limits.

Elena looks over to her house from afar, to which Nick shakes his head.

“We can’t afford to spend another second here,” Nick says as Elena still keeps her eyes focused on her house.

“What did you text him, anyways?”

As the two continue their escape, Elena’s last message to Zico runs through her mind.

Zico, I’d like to apologize.

Nick and Elena narrowly dodge a missile launched by a soldier. Nick connects his daggers into opposite directions, creating a huge chakram that he throws into the soldier, decapitating him.

You might be wondering why we aren’t there tonight, or in the morning when you wake up. I’ve gotten myself and Nick involved in something very, very dangerous and I might not be returning anytime soon.

A flying mech rushes at the two, who Elena quickly dispatches by slicing it in two with a ray of light. Nick changes his chakram into a bow, shooting at the soldiers below them.

I know you’re a responsible person, so please keep being who you are. I also know how frustrating Eternal Drive can get, so please, I beg you to put up with them for now.

The two are forced to abandon the rooftops when even more mechs show up, blocking their path. They drop down to the plaza, where they are greeted by several footsoldiers who are taken down with ease. The fountain ends up getting destroyed when Elena hurls a soldier into it, with water spouting from all directions as a result. With most of the ground covered in water, Nick signals Elena to head back to the rooftops as he creates a massive electric current, electrocuting every wet soldier on the ground.

Always remember to change your bedsheets and to clean the house twice a week. Don’t play videogames all the time. Don’t involve yourself in stupid, dangerous things like I have. Rest assured, when the time is right, I will be back. But for now, this is my farewell from one survivor to another.

After running throughout Aurus and dispatching countless soldiers, the two finally stop at the train station where Nick had ridden from. Fortunately, they arrived at exactly the right time as a train from Aurus to Nexos was boarding in a minute. The two quickly purchase tickets and settle inside the train as they officially leave Precidia as fugitives.

To Be Continued...