F A D E- New Kansas

by Tom Cain

  Seven got to his feet slowly clutching his head. In a flash Seven disappeared into the shadows and down a tunnel.

  "You coward" John said under his breath.

  John gathered his breath and gave chase.

  Valeria had cut Doctor Ahiro several times but was running low on ideas, the doctor could now catch her paths. No matter how quickly she moved. The doctor crept slowly down an old leaky tunnel, looking cautiously down each and every turning incase a wild purpled eyed surprise was waiting. Valeria dashed from the shadows and slammed her hand into the doctors neck, he, to her surprise laughed at the attack holding her hand in place with just his chin. She couldn't move her hand away; she thrashed a left fist towards the doctor which also stopped near his face with a fearsome glare. The doctor smiled as her face began to change, from determined anger to growing pain. He held her hands in position with his mind, an invisible force not allowing her to fully penetrate his skin. The doctor's smile turned into a gurgling laugh as Valeria's eyes started to fade. Valeria just about heard her last sound and a final drop of water left her welling eyes and her body started to convulse when a large beam of wood smashed across the head of the doctor, breaking the wood and making him release Valeria moments before her demise. The doctor, confused, turned slowly around to see Burke standing bravely with half a broken wooden support and breathing heavily. Valeria crumpled to the floor and was finally able to take a few short breathes in clasping at her neck and head.

  "You interrupted me" the doctor snarled.

  "You leave her alone. Not much point in attacking now anyway, you started all of this, should just leave it alone" Burke nervously attested.

  "It is precisely because I started all of this with my foolish endeavor of sustainable power that I need to finish it this way, I must blast us again to rid us of the rest, so the world can restart" the doctor slowly raising his hands in Burkes direction.

  "The Scribe has already taken the parts somewhere you ain't never gonna find them, so you can pack it in" Burke mustered another sentence through grinding fear.

  "I have had enough talk with you, I don't need all the…" the doctor was interrupted with a sharp pain in his leg.

  "Argh" he screamed as Valeria delivered a strong blow to his knee. The doctor let of a concussion blast sending Burke sprawling backwards out of the tunnel and into a previously standing home. Buried in rubble Burke felt the twitch in his arm that he felt in that tower room, his bones began to hurt. The doctor spun around to face Valeria once more with anger and hunger in his cold black eyes. Valeria now crawling backwards away from him tried to get to her feet but couldn't summon the power. Ahiro took several steps forward knocking Valeria back down to her knees with every stride. A massive noise and a roar came from behind him.

  The rubble behind Ahiro shook and the ground cracked beneath his feet. Bursting out of the rubble came a monster sending shards of debris everywhere. A skin colored, drooling giant, his right arm larger than the other but loaded with throbbing veins pumping green blood around his muscular frame. This was the antithesis of Burke. His legs were smaller than his other limbs so it required the hulking creature to run forward like a gorilla on all fours, arms first. Standing in front of the rubble the doctor had thrown him through he let out a gargling roar, an ugly showcase of raw brute power. The doctor now looking in surprise at Burkes new form blocked all the rubble and debris from causing damage by maintaining a telekinetic field around himself.

  "What an interesting mutation, my child, I don't think it will help you" said Ahiro.

  Burke looked at the doctor briefly, turned his head in curiosity, grunted, his facial expression changed immediately to anger and he charged, bowling along massive arms first. Ahiro summoned a large blast forwards making Burkes beast crash chest first into it. The blast didn't force Burke back it instead only slowed him down. The doctor again looked surprised but this time with a hint of worry. Burkes black eyes noticed the fear, and he pushed forwards harder. The doctor sent out another blast, backing up the previous, this time sending Burke back a little with the continuous stream of force. Valeria managed to get to her feet. She coughed and stumbled towards Ahiro, rubbing her throat. Her eyes lit backup, glowing violent purple, the light began to emanate from her mouth as well and an aura surrounded her. With a horrifying scream she disappeared into blinding purple light and reappeared half a meter from the doctor both fists clenched and ploughing a double punch directly in the doctor's back breaking the force push against Burke. Burke's now uninterrupted, charged directly for the doctor, Ahiro now very nervous and unable to summon the power quickly enough braced for impact. From a wet tunnel above some still standing shacks a large shadowy figure jumped onto Burke tackling his head, forcing him off course and steamrolling him into and through a wall. The figure, clutching to the head of Burke followed him through the wall but managed to get to his feet first. It was Seven. Bleeding.

  "Sir, Eight is coming this way" Seven said staring back.

  "I thought you were going to take care of this?" the doctor said regaining his composure.

  "Number Eight isn't as I…." Burke swung his oversized right hand and caught Seven directly in his upper body, sending him hurtling back into some broken buildings. Seven smashed his arms on the rubble supporting his body weight, which immediately flung him upright, Burke was already swinging another huge arm which was caught by Seven with both hands. The blow was crushingly powerful. Burke ground his oversized teeth while he continued to push Seven back into the rubble he just sprung up from.

  The doctor had his hands full with a fully enraged Valeria.

  Battle was raging on all sides and in all areas of Little London. Both soldiers and civilians had fallen. The doctor and Seven had not come alone they had brought a small army of Greeners with them. The aim was clear, to wipe out the city.

  Kairi and Huck were now in the Green District and fighting off several slobbering greeners. Bullets flew past their ears, cracked stone and ricocheted off metal slats. Kairi held an automatic rifle and had already taken down two of the aggressors. Huck had a large custom pistol that the armory had made for him but he had left the back up clips in his quarters during the recent mission. The greeners were coming from the east out from a tunnel located just off a partially empty square, which is normally used as a market area. As such, the market traders wooden and metal stalls where now being used as barricades by Huck and the team. The stalls had been turned on their side and while the wood really didn't make much of a difference to the bullets occasionally breaking through, it provided a good hiding spot for the team of six taking on the roving mutants. The greeners made haste to break through the meager defenses of exit nine. The group swarmed down the tunnel and out into the market place meeting gunfire from Huck and the team. Huck let off an entire clip into the incoming hoard taking down as many as he could.

  "Oh shit yeah, take that you sons of bitches" Huck shouted in the direction of the still running Greeners.

  Five of the Greeners saw Huck behind one of the turned over stall carts and started making a beeline towards him. Huck and two others unloaded the remainder of their clips but it didn't stop the frothing killers.

  "Oh shit, guys, reload, reload, reload" Huck shouted reaching into his pocket and yanking out another twelve bullet magazine. Suddenly the five greeners stopped in their tracks and look confused. They suddenly lifted from the ground their two feet, two feet above the ground.

  "Hey Kai, are you getting this?" Huck asked staring at the skeptical.

  "Kai can you see this shit?" he asked again this time turning to see Kairi holding her hands out and, her flat palms facing the now floating creeps. Kairi was concentrating deeply on her targets.

  "Kairi are you doing this shit? Is this you?" Huck now a little surprised and amazed. Kairi’s tongue was out and her eyes where squinting.

  "Don't talk Huck" she struggled to get out.

  The five greeners who could not get their feet back on the floor suddenly fell up and sm
ashed into the ceiling. Kairi’s tongue retracted back into her mouth.

  "Yeah I can make people fall up, for some reason, but I have to really concentrate, I can't do it so quick" she smirked whilst feeling quietly exhausted.

  As she rested her hand down by her side the team of five fell from the ceiling and impacted the floor with a thud.

  "Good moves you got there Kaikai. Mine ain't so useful, but I can make one hell of a mess" Huck said feeling a bullet whizz past his ear and hit Kairi on the shoulder, knocking her over.

  "Shit no, Kairi! You ok?" Huck said firing a few rounds off in the direction of the shot.

  Kairi fell to the ground holding her shoulder.

  "Ah it’s just a scratch Huck, just a scratch" she said.

  "Guys cover us, I got to get her out of the area" Huck shouted at two red haired twin soldiers taking pot shots at the enemy.

  "You got it!" said one of the soldiers.

  The twins moved up from behind a concrete shop corner to behind the stall and began firing at the newly oncoming greeners. Huck picked Kairi up and carried her on his back around a corner, getting hit with stone shrapnel from the oncoming fire.

  "Stay with me Kai, your going to be alright, I'm going to get you to the med bay" Huck said puffing.

  Bandoleer was attacking the mutants left and right, his mini bladed anchor was glistening with blood fresh from multiple foes. He growled and grinned as he tore through tens of them. His black button up jacket was getting dirty with battle stains so he removed it. Now just in an off white shirt and black jeans he fought on. A large bald greener ran around the corner holding a metal club and smiled when he saw Bandoleer.

  "Argh, so you’re the toughy they have been talking about huh?" the snarling greener spoke.

  "Yeah that's me, you bald freak, so, how do you want it?" Bandoleer retorted.

  "Think you going to take me down huh?" the greener stepped forward.

  "Well your friends took the beating well enough, what should I call you so I can laugh at your name?" Bandoleer jested cleaning his blade.

  "You can just call me Buddy, how's about that? But I am going to enjoy ripping off that pretty head of yours" Buddy said taking a few steps forward.

  "Well alright then, it's a date!" Bandoleer darted forward with a thrust of his anchor. The blade struck Buddy in the shoulder, he did not flinch, and instead he grabbed Bandoleers forehead. Bandoleer felt his legs draining of strength. He immediately pulled his blade out, hit Buddy's hand away from his head and jumped backwards. His legs regained their strength.

  "Oh so you are one of those then" Bandoleer shook his legs out.

  "Yup" Buddy said smiling.

  "I got one of you on my crew, very useful for strong fuckers" said Bandoleer.

  "Yup" Buddy replied tapping his club on his hand.

  Bandoleer leaped forward again and threw his anchor towards buddy's face, it missed, Buddy went for his forehead, this time bandoleer dodged the attack and stepped back.

  "Yeah you’re not going to get me with that again".

  Buddy smiled at the comment, this time swinging his club at Bandoleers chest catching his shirt and tearing a hole in it. Bandoleer again stepped back, mildly surprised and looking down at his chest.

  "You should take me out on a date first or at least ask" jested Bandoleer.

  Buddy sniggered. They danced around each other in a circle, Bandoleer tried to sweep the leg but Buddy moved quickly raising his leg and throwing a right hook towards Bandoleers head, it missed. Bandoleer retaliated in kind, placing his anchor in it sheath on his belt and throwing a flurry of punches each landing in different places over Buddy's body. Head, head, body, body, Buddy's eye socket cracked as Bandoleer caught him over and over again. Buddy took the punches drawing Bandoleer in, grabbing one of the punches and finally getting his big sweaty hand back on the captain's forehead. Bandoleer struggled to remove the hand this time. Feeling his legs drain of strength he reached for the anchor blade. He lost feeling in his legs. With one swift motion he removed the blade and brought it hammering down onto Buddy's arm, slicing his right hand off and severing the connection of the drain.

  "Argh, you son of a bitch, shoulda seen that coming" Buddy dribbled.

  Bandoleer collapsed to the floor unable to control his dead legs. Buddy staggered around clutching his wrist, blood pouring.

  "Oh you little…you son of a…" he continued, looking for something to tie the wound.

  He found a strip of Bandoleers shirt on the floor and started to wrap it around. Bandoleer picked up Buddy's hand and studied it for a moment.

  "You looking for this my friend?" he said using the hand as a pointer. His legs getting some feeling back.

  "So you can only do legs then?" Bandoleer continued.

  "Rickson on my ship can do legs and head, so easy when you can force the blood from body parts, shame you can't use it for your arm hey?" He asked rhetorically.

  Buddy finished the wrap and picked his club back up. He marched over to Bandoleer who had now thrown the dead hand to the side and clasped his blade. Buddy swung the club straight down in Bandoleers direction, Bandoleer now feeling a little more blood pumping in his legs managed to move to the side to dodge a devastating blow. the floor received the impact creating a small hole. Bandoleer thrust the anchor blade into Buddy's leg, making him scream. One of the other Greeners noticed the bodies and Buddy screaming and came to his aid.

  "You need me to finish this for you Bud?" the new but ugly face asked.

  Buddy turned around and hit him with his stump right hand, sending him flailing backwards. Buddy crushed his allies head with his club still shouting through the pain of his badly cut leg. He turned around expecting to see Bandoleer still on the floor. What he found was a large blade forced through his chest with deadly precision and Bandoleer at the end of it. Buddy could do nothing but die. His club dropped to the floor.

  "Well, it was nice meeting you Buddy, thanks for my legs back" said Bandoleer withdrawing his blade and putting back into it sheathe.

  He picked up Buddy's club and ran after some of the passing Greeners entering Little London's outskirts shouting joyfully.

  John finally caught up with Seven and joined the fray involving the Doctor, Burke beast transformation and a wounded Valeria. Seven had a hard time keeping Burke down, the raw strength and animosity of the beast was too much to contain. The blows that Seven landed had seemed to only delay and not damage. The Doctor was now firing on all cylinders at Valeria who was taking a speedy duck and dive approach to her attack. Weaving in and out of the buildings trying to avoid the Doctor's force pushing and fields. Burke had Seven trapped in the vice like grip of his oversized hands. Sevens face was badly damaged, his clothes were ripped reveal a muscular frame but again his body was damaged from the fighting.

  "I have no quarrel with you beast" Seven said feeling the crush.

  “Stop talking" Burke demanded in a slobbering low tone.

  "You came to kill our friends, and for that, you have to deal with me".

  Burke smashed Seven through a concrete wall and onto the floor of someone's home. Burke was still holding Seven with both hands, keeping Sevens arms firmly by his side and crushing him from as many angles as would allow.

  "I am here for John, creature, I do not wish to harm you, argh" Seven said as Burke's grip became tighter.

  Burkes eyes grew cold and his face turned even more angry. He grinded his teeth. Seven closed his eyes in deep concentration. Moments later he erupted with a guttural shout. The shout was accompanied by great strength. A feverish jolt and the sudden bursting free of both his arms. He took a hold of Burke's right arm and twisted it quickly and deeply to the right, forcing the beast into a sidewards spin and making him crash to the ground. Burke let out a howl and hit the ground with force.

  "Again, I am not here for you..." Seven stopped talking mid sentence.

  "I can...he is...here" Seven looking off into the distance, through the broken buildings and crack
s and holes that had been made through the fighting and saw John standing on the edge of the tunnel scanning the area.

  John jumped down to see the doctor locked in a wrestle with a furious Valeria, Thatcher was taking shots at the lose greeners ravaging the lagging civilians. Lisa is taking care of the injured soldiers and healing them the best she can.

  John jumps down on the battered street and takes a deep breath in while staring around. He catches glimpses of the Doctor and Valeria dashing back and forth between buildings, the evil laugh of the doctor echoing through the broken streets.

  John's scanning eyes caught a glimpse of Seven through the rubble of a broken shopfront. Their eyes locked. Seven smirked. John looked determined. The walk was slow for them both, the crumbled metal roofing slats, house and shop peripherals and pieces of building debris crunched under the ever-marching feet of the two. The once populated busy streets of Little London in this district now lay in ruins. Shops, homes and storage depots breached and broken. The grey concrete floor broken, the ceiling cracked to the surface.

  "Seven, you are right, we were born in the same place, but we are not brothers. You don't owe the doctor anything, you will all die here today, be it by my hand or someone else's" said John sternly.

  "Let's just see which one of us dies first John. Doctor Willis-Scott gave us life, we should all be celebrated as the first" Seven replied confidently.

  "You don't want it to end this way Seven" John stated taking a few more steps forward and stopping to tear off both his remaining sleeves, which were in tatters.

  "Maybe not, I have a name you know. I was put out for integration as well, I didn't find a family, I wasn't as accepted as you" said Seven.

  Seven wiped some of the blood from around his mouth and spat it on the floor. The blood and dust mixed forming a gloopy black mess.

  "I am going to hurt you Seven for taking Marko. I am going to hurt you bad, brothers or not, you made a mistake working for that guy" John said closing his eyes for a moment only to re-open them swiftly reflecting his now burning green right arm.