by C. S. Cooper
“Shit!” growled Bravo. Panic filled him as the sentry reached for the alarm button.
Useless frigging tools, Maka internally growled. She lunged forward, out of the clearing, toward the west entrance. Soul didn’t get a chance to protest before Maka leapt through the air, twirling his scythe form, and decapitating one of the sentries. The other tried to fight back, but Maka hooked her blade between his legs and cleaved him in half. She blew her dishevelled fringe out of the way and slashed the door open.
“Albarn, wait,” pleaded Bravo, but she was already inside wreaking havoc. “Damn it!” Bravo snapped. “Move in! Move in now!”
Inside the dam, Maka met with three homunculi. Two of them woke with a start to see the third being vivisected by the scythe-meister. Maka twirled her weapon to deflect the bullets from their guns, before depriving them of their arms, legs, and finally heads.
“Maka, wait for the others,” Soul growled.
“They’ll just slow us down,” retorted Maka as she embedded Soul’s blade in a gecko-type homunculus’ head. She marched down the sparsely lit corridor. She took out another homunculus in the middle of a transformation into a mechanical moth, but didn’t notice the incoming humanoid enemies wielding sub-machine guns. Soul heard them, reverted to his human form, and dragged Maka into an open storage closet.
“You almost got yourself killed, Maka,” snarled Soul. “Wait for the others.”
“This is Shaula we’re talking about, Soul,” retorted Maka over the sounds of gunfire and clashing of Arms Alchemies. “We have to get her for Abhilasha and Tamika! Or have you forgotten that?”
Soul rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Jesus Christ, Maka! You know how I feel about that, so don’t be unfair.”
Maka fumed. “Then help me get her! We don’t need these Regiment hacks!”
“And how do you know that Shaula isn’t killing Sakura’s dad right now?” asked Soul. Maka made an expression loaded with surprise, disgust, and fury. Soul stepped back as much as the closet would allow and said, “Ah, so that’s what this is about.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” grumbled Maka, diverting her eyes.
At that, the door burst open, a Silver Skin-clad Bravo wresting it from its hinges.
“What’s this? Make out time?” he barked. “Get your arses out of there and do your job!” Then he went back to beating the homunculi with his fist.
Soul and Maka exchanged glances. She let out a sigh and held out her hand. He took it, and transformed into a scythe. Maka leapt out from the closet and filleted a piscine homunculus.
“She’s on the lower floor,” she said after checking with her soul perception.
Bravo turned to his warriors. “You handle all the homunculi on this level and the ones above.” To Maka and Xiaolang, he yelled, “You’re with me.” He darted down the corridor and turned left. He held his arms out and made a shield of his Silver Skin, which blocked the barrage of bullets the homunculi sent his way. He heard their guns click, at which point he lowered his shield.
Maka raced forward, again without permission. The lead homunculus had already started to contort and shed her skin. Maka brought Soul’s blade down on the creature’s head, but it passed through it as if it were made of gel. The homunculus assumed its true jellyfish form. Maka darted backward as a scorpion homunculus beared its pincers and swiped at her. She tried to deflect its blows with the handle of Soul’s scythe form, but the space was cramped.
“Huǒ shén zhāolái!” bellowed Xiaolang. A stream of fire burst down the corridor, darting harmlessly around Maka, and enveloping the homunculi. The jellyfish evaporated while the scorpion shrieked and thrashed before her. Then Bravo dashed past her like a streak of silver, and embedded his fist in the creature’s thorax, ending it.
Bravo glared at her from beneath his encompassing coat, and then raced down the corridor. Maka cursed him for making her feel foolish.
Watch yourself, Albarn, thought Soul.
Xiaolang passed her as well and brandished a paper charm.
“If Sakura’s father is dead, I’ll blame you,” he said with a menacing tone.
Soul’s face appeared in the sheen of his blade and said, “Don’t threaten my meister.” He had to admit, though, Maka had it coming.
Maka watched Xiaolang and Bravo head down the stairs to the lower level. She drew a deep breath and steeled herself.
I must get Shaula, she thought.
She followed the pair down the stairs, and took out the homunculi Xiaolang and Bravo had missed. Bravo kicked down the door that was no longer guarded, revealing a brightly lit laboratory. A stack of networked computers lay in the corner, their number crunching having turned the room into an oven. Along one wall was a bench covered in papers, drawings, photos, and notebooks. A rectangular outline marred the concrete floor, indicating that something had been moved recently.
“Doctor Avalon!” yelled Bravo. Maka looked over and saw Bravo and Xiaolang frantically release a man tied to a chair in the corner. Xiaolang delicately tore away the duct tape over the man’s lips, allowing the man to unleash his horrified shrieks.
“Mister Kinomoto, are you alright?” asked Xiaolang.
“Mister Lee?” panted Franklin. He seemed delirious.
“We need to get out of here now, Doctor Avalon,” said Bravo.
“Wait! Where’s Shaula?” yelled Maka.
Franklin hardly took notice of her as he faltered and gasped for breath. His eyes unfocused a moment, and then widened in horror. He looked at the large circular hatch on the wall beside him. He stammered incoherently, pointing at the hatch. Maka tried to slash it open, but Soul’s blade couldn’t even dent it. Xiaolang stepped forward and cast out a paper charm.
“Léidì zhāolái!” he proclaimed. The seams of the hatch crackled with electricity, and the locks broke. Bravo then grabbed the edges of the hatch and wrested it open.
Beyond was a makeshift hangar, as if someone had haphazardly scraped away the bedrock. A saucer-shaped craft stood in the hangar. The design reminded Bravo of Doctor Butterfly’s rejuvenation tank. From the cockpit window, Shaula Gorgon waved. Her red-cyan eyes glimmered mischievously, as if not even her mangled hair could dampen her spirits.
It made Maka’s blood boil. She raced forward.
“Maka, stop!” snapped Soul.
Maka’s face hit the ground as Franklin tackled her. He wrested her up and dragged her out of the chamber. Ignoring her protests, the terrified man looked at Bravo and Xiaolang.
“We have to get out of here!” he cried. “This hangar is going to flood!”
Just as he finished yelling, the saucer’s underside flashed blue. The craft then blasted through the ceiling of the hangar. Seconds later, water started to crash into the chamber.
“Bīng shén zhāolái!” yelled Xiaolang. A floe burst from his sword and sealed the hatch with a wall of ice. Sweat quickly beaded on his brow as he threw as much energy into the floe as he could. He released his breath in a low sigh and leaned against his sword. “That won’t hold for long,” he said.
Bravo tapped his radio and exclaimed, “All units, fall back. Fall back now!” He and Xiaolang hooked their arms under Franklin’s shoulders and fled the room. Maka lingered a moment longer, much to Soul’s worry, and scanned the notes on the table.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered.
The ice barrier started to crack, drawing her attention from the unsettling documents.
“Maka, let’s go!” snapped Soul. Maka finally obeyed, and sprinted through the door. She caught up with Bravo, Xiaolang, and Franklin at the top of the staircase. They then made for the exit.
Bravo touched his radio a second time. “All units, pull out. The dam is about to flood.”
“Bravo, we’ve got a situation here,” replied Spirit’s voice.
“Did you secure the other hostage?” asked Bravo.
“Negative,” said Spirit, his tone nervous.
“Never mind then, fall back!” repeated Bravo. He
and Xiaolang carried Franklin out of the exit, followed by Maka, just as the dam started to shudder. Far behind them, the ice barrier broke, and water rushed into the dam, like a tornado through a sleepy town.
On the east side, alpha team scurried from the exit. A few were injured, being shouldered by their comrades. They sprinted across the small bridge connecting the two banks, just as water blasted out the east and west entrances. The river started to rise over the bridge, knocking over several Alchemic Warriors. Xiaolang drew a paper charm and used his magic to hold back the incoming tide. It gave alpha team just enough time to make it across the bridge.
Bravo diverted them all into the woods as quickly as possible, and ordered them up the hill toward the stealth craft. Spirit raced up the hill ahead of his team, almost knocking over Maka in the process. He finally caught up to Bravo, who was commanding the stealth craft pilot to track Shaula’s ship.
“Costable!” he yelled for the third time. “We have a problem!”
“What?” snarled a stressed Bravo.
“That other hostage wasn’t a hostage,” said Spirit.
“What do you mean, Papa?” exclaimed Maka.
“It was Moonface,” blurted Spirit.
“Spirit, are you high?” exclaimed Soul. “Moonface is back at Regiment HQ!”
“He’s not lying,” said a wounded member of the alpha team. “It was Moonface in that chamber.”
“But that couldn’t be,” replied Bravo. He thought for a moment, until a horrible idea dawned on him. “Unless …”
At the foot of the hill, the Somerset Dam started to buckle. The residents of Lake Wivenhoe were about to have a really bad night. But it wouldn’t be nearly as bad as what the Regiment Headquarters were soon to experience.
Chapter 16: The Trojan
It took longer than Moonface had expected for his wounds to heal. Though it wasn’t surprising, given the strength of the mad man who made them. The languid pace of his recovery was fortunate, however, as it concealed the nature of what he hid in his stomach.
Moonface stretched out his yellow face and clenched his teeth to loosen up his skin. Then he eyed the watch, still intact on his wrist.
Just in time, he thought malevolently.
He reached deep within, tightening his stomach and chest muscles. He pushed upward with his gut, slowly edging an object up his oesophagus. A heavy metal pellet slid upward into his mouth, which he held within his teeth. He took aim at the glass window, drew a deep breath, and spat the ball. It dinged against the glass, but didn’t break it.
That wasn’t the point.
The warrior guarding the cell shot up with a start. He looked into the cell and saw Moonface grinning and chortling. The homunculus started to convulse and gag. Curiosity overcame the man. He placed his hand on the Kakugane on his chest.
If it moves, I can kill it in a heartbeat, he thought confidently. Then he opened the cell and stood with his toes just beyond the threshold.
“What is it, you piece of garbage?” muttered the warrior.
Moonface grinned, and then spat out another object. This one was larger. It cracked open in mid-air, revealing the writhing, voracious creature that had waited within. The veiny, bio-mechanical thing pawed and slashed at the air between it and the man, whose blood ran cold. He didn’t get a chance to activate his Arms Alchemy, before the creature landed on his eye and savagely clawed its way into his head. He shrieked with panic, before falling to the ground, gripping his head and wailing.
He soon stopped thrashing and fell limp, only to awake a split-second later with a strident gasp. The man rose to his feet and gazed absentmindedly at Moonface.
“Release me, you neonate knob-head,” exclaimed Moonface. The newborn homunculus summoned its host’s memory, and moved forward to release the restraints. Moonface pivoted onto his feet with a long, relieved sigh. He then regurgitated a broach in the shape of a crescent moon, which he set to his shirt. Instantly, his flesh and clothing renewed themselves, much to his delight.
“Moon!” he giggled. He checked his watch. “Shaula should show shortly. Let’s steal that Silver Key, eh?” His new slave grunted obediently.
Moonface strode out of the cell. He regurgitated another capsule and smashed it onto the head of an approaching warrior. The embryo therein happily dove through the woman’s skull and possessed her. Moonface regurgitated ten more capsules and handed them to his new subordinates.
“Courier some chaos, kiddies!” he chirped. The homunculi grinned most maliciously, and then started down the hall in opposite directions. Meanwhile, Moonface shuddered, and split off a clone of himself, the head in a gibbous shape. He did this repeatedly, until thirty of him lined the hall. Each of them complemented each other on their handsomeness, before darting down the corridor, in search of the Silver Key.
* * *
Alarm bells blared throughout the compound. Nathan and Astrid shot up, while Sakura whimpered with worry and confusion. Eriol frowned in alarm. Astrid marched across the cell and banged on the doors.
“Report!” she bellowed.
The door slid open and the guard poked his head in. “Moonface has escaped custody. There are homunculi in the facility.”
“What?” yelled Astrid.
“How the Hell is that possible?” exclaimed Nathan.
“General Rodrigo has dispatched security,” said the guard. “You are all to remain here.”
“Rubbish!” snarled Nathan. “Your warriors are all out at Somerset Dam! If Moonface got out, we’re the best ones to take him.”
“He’s got a point,” said Eriol.
The guard pointed at Eriol and barked, “You’re not an authority here, Scotsman! Stay put!” Something grabbed the guard’s leg. He grunted in surprise, and then shrieked in horror as a long tentacle dragged him out of the cellblock. His cries abruptly ended, followed by a slurping sound. A series of heavy, wet footfalls echoed from around the corner, and a giant mechanical mole appeared in the corridor.
Astrid backed away, her arm around a trembling Sakura.
“Nathan, I don’t have a Kakugane,” she yelled.
Nathan, meanwhile, was breathing slowly in an attempt to settle his mind. He muttered, “Give me a second, or I’ll go Victor.”
“Eriol, use your magic,” pleaded Sakura as she gripped the Silver Key box.
The Scotsman was already in action. He procured his sun-shaped key from his breast pocket, and hastily activated it. The mole lunged at the sight of his wand, which issued a fire blast. The creature flailed about, smashing the walls of the cell, setting the flammable parts of the room ablaze.
“Nathan!” yelled Astrid in alarm.
Nathan saw the mole, its carapace smouldering. The homunculus glared at Astrid, and the tentacles on its nose flagellated with hunger. Suddenly, Nathan’s chest exploded with dark and purple discharges. In the next instant, he had buried his lance in the mole’s body, and the thing disintegrated. The death of the creature stirred within him an unbelievable sense of satisfaction, and he relished the sight of the black blood that oozed from its wrecked metal carapace.
Nathan felt a tiny sting on his shoulder, as if someone had thrown a small pebble at it. He glanced over and saw Eriol, panting and sweating as if he’d run a marathon. Wisps of energy wafted from him, Astrid, and Sakura, toward Nathan’s feet. Nathan looked down in terror to see his skin had turned crimson.
I went Victor!
He fell to his knees in a panic, and gripped his chest to find some semblance of a centre. The sight of his friends slowly losing their energy horrified him, and made his point of control a moving target. He grit his teeth and punched the floor in an effort to control the monster within, but the fight was not going his way. He looked at Astrid, who stared straight back at him. Her eyes, weighed down by fatigue, pierced into him, and reminded him of the day he’d come back to life for the second time.
Only your body has become a monster like him! Don’t let your mind go too.
Those word
s had been the spell that brought him back. He gripped his lance tightly, and pressed his other hand to his chest.
My mind has not changed … My mind has not changed …
He repeated the mantra over and over, until he found that steady rock amid the maelstrom of power and hunger. He grabbed onto that place in his mind and, with a roar, deactivated his Arms Alchemy. His crimson skin broke off from his body like a glass coating, revealing his human form underneath. He felt dizzy. He glanced over, and saw Eriol barely able to stand. Astrid nursed Sakura, who was delirious.
Nathan scrambled over and hoisted Eriol to his feet.
“I hit you with everything I had,” exclaimed the Scotsman weakly.
“You’re getting stronger,” grumbled Astrid.
Nathan didn’t like the sound of that at all. He glanced around the wrecked cell and sighed.
“We need to get out of here,” he said.
Eriol shook his head and slapped his knees to get feeling back into them. Then he edged out of the cell, using his wand as a walking stick. Astrid pulled herself up with sheer willpower, and tried to rouse Sakura. The girl was definitely breathing, but was sound asleep. Nathan lifted her onto his shoulders and Astrid grabbed the box containing the Silver Key. They followed Eriol down the hall. The corridors of the building echoed with screaming and booms, evidence of Moonface’s mayhem.
“What should we do?” asked Eriol.
“Obviously, we need to get out of headquarters,” said Astrid. “We can get to the hangar this way.” She led them down an adjacent corridor. She stopped a moment to pick up the Kakugane left by the mole’s last meal. She activated it, and her Valkyrie Skirt’s blades stood at the ready. She led the way, Eriol bringing up the rear.
They passed through a number of passageways, before reaching the hangar bay. It was chaos. At least two homunculi were wreaking havoc against teams of technicians and engineers armed only with handguns.