Chapter32: Savage Smackdown
Vlad formed up with the rest of the squad as they dashed straight into the compound. Marshal sliced up the door with the Emerald Flash, and it fell into pieces at their feet. When they arrived inside, they were greeted by twenty Savage Corporation employees, who each held a sub-machine gun in their hands. They stood in a classic firing squad formation, pointing their weapons at the squad.
“Aurora,” Tristan squealed, “now would be a good time to do your thing!”
“I’m all ready to go,” she assured him. As she said that, the firing squad in front of them emptied their weapons at Squad Four. Miraculously, the bullets all stopped in midair, as if they had all stopped right into an invisible wall. Aurora smirked as she waved her hand around and the wall of bullets shot back at the people shooting them. The impromptu firing squad fell to the ground, all dead.
“Let’s move,” Marshal said plainly, not even stopping to consider the amount of murder that had just happened in front of him.
* * *
Walker touched the helicopter down in a cornfield near the compound. Adelia quickly jumped out and got her assault rifle out and ready to go.
“Anastasia and I will provide aerial support out here,” Walker told her. “All you need to do is get in there and help out your squad. Make sure none of them die.”
“Yes, sir,” Adelia acknowledged, saluting. She turned and ran over the hill to the compound as Walker took the helicopter back into the sky.
* * *
Marshal and the others tore through the huge compound, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. Marshal slashed, Chris punched, and the rest of them shot through waves of Savage’s employees.
“I don’t think your insurance covers that!” Chris joked as he punched a poor, unsuspecting employee straight up into the air and into the light above them, electrocuting him.
“Tristan, we need some direction,” Marshal said. “Find us a map and let us know where the ankh could be located.”
“I’m on it!” Tristan said, pulling up a menu on his HUD. He stopped moving to find a map of the compound, and the others stood around him, covering him as he searched. In a matter of seconds, Tristan found what they needed.
“It looks like there’s a secret elevator up at the top that will take us to the room with the ankh, way down below ground level,” he observed. “They’ve gone all out trying to protect the Titan’s Ankh.”
“It seems almost too cliché to be true,” Serena thought.
“Agreed, but it’s also the most logical idea,” Vlad said. “Let’s go for it, Marshal.”
“Of course,” Marshal agreed. “Let’s move, people!”
* * *
Adelia found the entrance to the compound and went in quietly, not knowing what to expect. When she walked through the busted doorway, she had to stop herself from vomiting. In front of her, the entire room was a bloodbath. Chopped up pieces of human were strewn about, while others had bullet holes riddling their entire bodies and even more had fist sized imprints on their skulls.
“Damn it,” she swore. “Can’t they just control themselves at least a little bit?” She followed the trail of death, taking care not to notice the piles of bodies around her.
* * *
“They’re here!” Forrest screeched. “What do we do? They’re slaughtering everyone!”
“Calm down,” Jack said grumpily. “Let’s just get to the storage room and protect the Ankh.”
“Just the two of us?” Forrest asked. “There’s seven of them!”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jack said, leaving the room. “Let’s just get over there.”
* * *
Marshal and the others had made it to the top floor of the compound without much problem. At the end of the hallway in front of them they found the elevator that they were looking for. The whole hallway seemed to be entirely quiet.
“Let’s move quickly,” Vlad suggested. “They’re bound to be coming up here shortly.” The rest of them nodded and took off at a brisk pace for the door. They got about thirty feet from the elevator door when a small legion of enemy soldiers appeared seemingly out of nowhere, catching the lot of them completely off guard.
“Shit!” Chris swore out loud as the soldiers pointed their firearms straight at the seven of them. They were all poised to drill a sizeable amount of holes in the intruders until a single shot took down the soldier at the front and center of the group. Everyone looked back to see Adelia standing behind them lowering her pistol.
“You idiots,” she grumbled. “You couldn’t have at least waited for me to show up?”
“We figured you were preoccupied,” Marshal said, trying hard not to show the tiniest of smiles on his face.
“You’re here now, though,” Tristan reminded her, “and that’s what counts.”
“Hey!” one of the enemy soldiers behind them shouted out. “Don’t ignore us! We’re, like, trying to fill you all full of holes!” As he raised his weapon again to start firing at Squad Four, he was suddenly dropped by a sniper bullet that seemed like it came from heaven.
“What the hell was that?!” Mia cried. “Who’s the sniper?”
“That’d be Anastasia,” Vlad said, grinning widely. “I’d recognize that sound anywhere.”
“Let’s take care of the rest of them, then!” Marshal ordered. “Formation 8A!”
* * *
“Looks like they’ve got everything taken care of now,” Anastasia said, watching the fight through the scope of her rifle.
“Good,” Walker said, taking the helicopter up higher in the sky. “Everything is up to them, now.”
* * *
Jack and Forrest quickly spun around to see the door to the room fly off of its hinges with a huge explosion. Dust and smoke quickly filled the room as Squad Four quickly entered the room with it. When everything settled, Jack turned to find Marshal holding Forrest with a katana held up to the shape shifting boy’s neck.
“Don’t move,” Marshal told Jack. “Just give us the Titan’s Ankh or I’ll cut this kid’s head off.”
“Do it,” Jack goaded, equipping his claws. “I don’t even like him, to be quite honest.”
“Jack!” Forrest cried. “Please! Don’t do this! What about the time we’ve spent getting to know each other?” Jack just continued putting his claws on, not even acknowledging his terrified comrade. He finished putting his weapons on and lunged for Marshal, preparing to strike both him and Forrest, but was suddenly thrown back when Chris got in between them and landed a punch straight into his side.
“Dude,” Chris said, “you are one stone cold motherfucker.”
“You’re one to talk, oh legendary Berserker,” Jack grunted, slowly climbing back on his feet.
“Don’t even try to pretend to be Mr. Holier-than-thou, Jack,” Vlad growled. “Chris may be a homicidal Berserker, but at least he distinguishes between friend and foe.”
“That didn’t seem to be the case when you threatened to kill me before I left,” Jack argued.
“You tried to kill Marshal,” Adelia reminded him. “Might I remind you that you were once allies?”
“That doesn’t matter any longer!” Jack shouted. “I’ll just kill you all here, my enemies!” He lunged toward the group in front of him, but quickly stopped when another voice emanated from the doorway.
“Now, now, Jack,” Savage said, stepping over the broken-down door. “No need to kill any of them. We’ll simply make a deal with them.”
Aurora gasped. “Guys! That’s Thomas Savage!” Everyone immediately drew their weapons and pointed them straight at their greatest enemy.
“Calm down, everyone,” Savage said. “I’m only here to make a deal.”
“We’re not interested!” Marshal cried out. He dropped Forrest and lunged for Savage. While he ran, he took a look at the man who had caused him and his friends so much grief and hardship for the past several months. He looked to be older than Walker, seemingly in his mid to late 30’s. His brown hair was slicked back just like Walker’s, but started to show signs of graying. He wore a suite exactly like Walker’s as well. If Marshal didn’t know any better, he’d even say they were twins. Savage’s most prominent feature, though, was his set of deep blue eyes that pierced through Marshal’s very soul and seemed to drown him in an endless ocean. Suddenly, Marshal stopped his attack and stared at Savage’s mesmerizing eyes.
“I think if you stop for a moment, you’ll find this deal quite interesting,” Savage said, forming a smug grin on his face.
“Snap out of it, Marshal!” Vlad cried, slapping his leader on the back with his giant hands. Marshal stumbled forward and shook himself awake as if just waking up from a nap.
“What the hell was that?” Marshal asked, raising his sword in a defensive position.
Savage just laughed eerily. “You all have special powers of your own. Who’s to say that I don’t have my own, as well?”
Marshal growled in rage. “Open fire!” Everyone drew their weapons and fired at savage. The man simply laughed again as he effortlessly dodged every single shot fired at him.
“Not bad,” he said sarcastically. “You might make me break a sweat over this deal.”
Marshal had finally reached his limit. He stopped everything around him and sprinted for his enemy, poised to drive the Emerald Flash straight through Savage’s heart. He made his final lunge and started to thrust the sword when the unthinkable happened.
Savage blinked.
* * *
What happened in New York? Ryder asked his brother telepathically. Why weren’t you able to warn us about the trap?
I’m not sure, Travis thought back. I think there’s something about Savage that causes my powers not to work.
And if your power was stopped, there’s nothing preventing him from stopping the others’ powers, too, Ryder concluded. The others might be in some serious trouble if they meet up with Savage.
All we can do now is hope that they don’t, Travis said, still lying in the hospital bed.
* * *
Adelia barely even had time to blink when she saw her ex-boyfriend impaled through the head on his own sword. Savage stood where he had been before, yawning as he used the Emerald Flash to hold Marshal’s limp, lifeless body up off the ground.
“Now, for my deal,” Savage said, completely nonchalant. “You have a choice to make, my friends. You may either have the Titan’s Ankh, or you can attempt to save your friend, here. Keep in mind that he won’t necessarily survive either way.”
“Guys, we need Marshal to live to fight another day!” Chris said. Everyone immediately agreed and ran for their leader. Savage dropped Marshal to the ground, and Vlad immediately scooped him up.
“Let’s go!” Vlad barked, hefting Marshal on his back and running out the door. The others quickly followed behind him, with Serena bringing up the rear. Before she made it through the doorway, Savage stepped in front of her and grabbed her by the wrist.
“Going somewhere?” he asked, forming a frighteningly sinister grin on his face.
“Let go of me!” Serena cried, struggling to get out of Savage’s iron grip.
“’Fraid not,” Savage said, squeezing Serena’s wrist even tighter. “You’ll be coming with me. Jack, Forrest, let’s go.”
“Yes, sir!” the two of them shouted. They both ran over to Savage and Serena and Jack began to teleport them out of the compound.
“Chris!” Serena screamed as she disappeared instantly.
Chris turned around, hearing Serena’s voice, but saw no one behind him. “Serena?!” he cried out, searching for her. He looked back around the room, but Serena was gone.
“Chris, we have to go!” Adelia shouted.
“Serena!” Chris screamed, punching the ground below him.
“Live to fight another day!” Tristan said, repeating what Chris had said earlier about saving Marshal. “Let’s go!” Chris got up and ran to the elevator.
* * *
“Something’s wrong,” Anastasia said. “They should be out of there by now.”
“Agreed,” Walker said, turning the helicopter around. “Let’s go check it out.” He began lowering the helicopter to see the top level of the compound. Anastasia lifted her rifle to see inside. The elevator door opened to reveal Vlad carrying the unconscious Marshal on his back with the sword still protruding from Marshal’s skull.
“Get us down there, now,” Anastasia said. “We’ve got wounded.”
Walker suddenly cut off the engine and the helicopter plummeted to the ground. Anastasia held on for dear life as Walker immediately turned the engine back on and kept the two of them from crashing on the ground by just a few feet. He softly touched the copter down on the ground as Squad Four sprinted out of the compound and piled into the aircraft.
“What the hell happened?” Walker shouted.
“Thomas Savage happened,” Vlad said solemnly. “We need to evac immediately.”
“Of course,” Walker agreed. The helicopter took off and sped for headquarters.
In the back of the helicopter, Vlad set Marshal down on the floor and Adelia immediately hovered over him. She gingerly removed the Emerald Flash from Marshal’s cranium and assessed the damage. She quickly put her hands on his head and used her healing power. Marshal’s head was immediately enveloped in a calm golden light, and his wound closed up.
“He’s healed,” she sighed. She quickly went to check his pulse and heart rate, and found that both were returning, slowly but surely.
“Is Marshal going to be okay?” Mia asked, looking worried.
“I don’t know, Mia,” Adelia said, fighting back tears. “We just have to wait and see what happens.” The entire squad huddled together as Walker piloted the helicopter across the black night sky.
