Burning Phoenix - Saga 1

(Quintiles 22, 59 / 10:45PM)

Everyone ducked as soon as the blast came, but some people ducked faster than others.

(Luke’s thoughts) Perfect timing!

As Luke was the first one to duck right next to the couch, Luna also took cover when she saw the light as well.

But instead of ducking and holding their ears, Luna already had her fist clenched hard, her knuckles having a whitish color. Seeing for a split second that the boss was vulnerable, she used that opportunity to drive her left fist into the boss’s liver, using all the strength in her weak fist to knock him out.

Unfortunately, not only did she knock him out, but she also sent him flying straight into the wall. Up to this point, the rain of dirt, dust, and debris managed to catch up to Luna as well. As soon as Luna was being pelted by dirt, she managed to take cover the same as Luke, having her head positioned so that debris wouldn’t hit her in the head.

With the debris explosion gone, both Luke and Luna stood up to see that most of the Blood Eagle top members were unconscious on the ground, groaning as their bodies ached with the dreaded pain of debris hitting their backs and heads.

(Luke’s thoughts) This dust is killing me…

Luke instantly took off his mask, his face showcasing not a big change as his face was similar to that of two years ago during The Array. Seeing that Luna had barely any bruises, Luke’s face drooped down calmly as he gave her a little smile.

But out of the dust, was a tall woman with a ponytail, carrying a short girl on her back.

(Gwen) Where is he?

(Loraine) Where’s the pervert?

Gwen had a childish walk to her as she walked up towards both Luke and Luna, her eyes scanning the both of them. Loraine, despite being a teen, had a robot walk as she looked up at Luna and Luke. Luna pointed with her finger towards the dented wall, showing that the boss…

Wasn’t there.

(Gwen) Did you guys let him get away?

(Luna) Shit, I didn’t expect him to crawl or walk away after that!

(Luke) Come on, we got to catch up to him before he—

The lights went out.

With the room now being replaced by total darkness, Luke, Luna, Gwen, and Loraine remained still and had their senses ready in case of an ambush. Fortunately for them, Gwen had the best ability to work in the dark.

(Gwen) hehe … so they want to fight in the dark huh?

In the pitch black of night, the three dark angels saw a glowing light coming from Gwen.

Gwen didn’t just make light, she was light.

Her body created an angelic yellowish light that made the room more noticeable, her hair, skin, and even clothes being used as her flashlight. Looking around the room, they saw the door was wide open … too wide open.

(Luke) Alright, we’re going to have to improvise. I know David and Jerry were at the back exit, Stan and the others keeping an eye on the front exit, and Miles' group storming the first and second hallways, so how are we going to get the boss?

(Gwen) Why do you say the boss? His name is Maverick…

(Luke) Right … How are we going to capture Maverick for good?

Gwen put her hand to her cheek, tapping her foot as she tried to come up with a better way to tackle things. Gwen being Gwen, she quickly stopped tapping her foot, putting her hand in her pocket as she eyed the door.

Looking at Luke and the other two, Gwen then readied her right leg, putting an extensive amount of force as she looked like she was about to make a lunge. In a split second, she stormed out of the room, her body as light as a baby bird's feather as she got to the hallway in less than a second.

(Gwen) Oi! Maverick! I’m coming for ya!

Because she was glowing, Gwen was a huge target for the Blood Eagles members waiting outside in the hallway. Standing outside her door, she saw many blood eagles wearing a weird type of goggles that she couldn’t recognize.

But either way, those goggles managed to make the mercenaries see in the dark.

(Gwen) Hello everybody! Have you seen your boss? I just want to talk to him!

In the third hallway alone, there were 30 to 40 Blood Eagle members, all having their weapons loaded and their faces concealed as they all focused on the glowing woman. Seeing that they weren’t going to just respond to her, Gwen put on a frown as she placed her finger on her mouth.

(Gwen) Awww. I was hoping that one of you told me…

The blood eagles then pointed their guns toward Gwen, readying to open fire at the woman. Just as they all put their fingers on the trigger, Gwen looked to the right to find that the three dark angels weren’t there in the room at all.

(Gwen’s thoughts) Not bad Luna…

A commotion can be heard on the opposite side of the hallway, as a blood eagle's member falls.

When one of the blood eagles saw their comrade fall, he quickly ran up to him and checked his back for any bullet wounds. Finding no bullet wounds on the back, he turned his friend’s body to see if he had any wounds on the front.

He did, but it wasn’t a gunshot wound.

(Luna) Up here, dumbass.

With a precise slash, Luna used her right arm to slash a blood eagle's chest, not that deep so that it wouldn’t kill him, but just enough so that he wouldn't get up.

Having dual-wielding, twin double-edged swords in each hand, Luna came out of the hallway that led towards the second floor. Not only Luna but Luke and Loraine also were with Luna, with Luke wielding dual-wielding Uzis and Loraine wielding an RPG.

(Random Blood Eagles Member #1) How did they get to the other side of the hallway?

(Random Blood Eagles Member #2) I don’t care, take them out!

(Luke) Loraine! Press the alarm button, it’ll give us some light to see in the dark!

(Loraine) Gotcha!

Loraine ran towards an alarm system that was gently tucked near Luke. Since Luke had his eyes on Luna, Loraine used the butt of her RPG to break the glass. Putting down the RPG, she placed her hand inside the little case, gently pushing the alarm button with ease.

All hell was let loose, as the sounds of light, metal, and bullets rocked the red and black hallway of the third-floor hallway.

______________________________________________________________________________

(Miles’s Group)

(Miles) Did Gwen just really bust through the third floor?

(Benn) Typical.

(Jack) Hey wait, isn’t that our cue?

Four dark angel members waited outside the front door. In terms of change, Miles and Benn’s faces stayed the same from two years ago. Meanwhile, Jack’s face started to mature more as his cheeks and jaw were shown more, while Hope’s overall body grew more maturely.

Seeing that the door was locked in tight from the inside, Jack tilted his head as he tried to pry the lock with his hands.

(Jack) How did Luke and Luna get in?

(Miles) They copied their outfits to the letter and used it to sneak in. Weren’t you paying attention to the plan?

(Jack) I was daydreaming.

(Miles) Yeah, that’s on you.

(Hope) Hey Benn, I gave you a stick of dynamite a couple of days ago. Do you still have it?

(Benn) Yeah, I put it in your backpack. Hold still.

Hope remained still as Benn went through her backpack, the amount of energy drinks, healing equipment, and medicine bottles scattered as Benn tried to look for one single block of dynamite. After searching for several long seconds, Benn noticed a familiar material.

(Benn) Found it.

Pulling out a stick of dynamite, he went back inside Hope’s backpack hoping to find any random lighter to light the fuse. Unfortunately, finding a lighter would be finding a needle in a haystack.

(Benn) I’ll just use something else.

Zipping up her backpack, Benn held the dynamite firmly, his bluish hands wrapping it as he looked down at the concrete floor. Bending down, he swiped the dynamite in one fast swoop to light up the explosive, the sparks, and flames inching their way toward the gunpowder.

Nonchalantly walking towards the door, Benn placed the dynamite at the door, his eyes lost in the gaze of the flames and sparks that he rarely ever had.

Walking slowly, he was able to make it out of the blast range as the explosion created a shockwave that shook the four dark angels, their bodies feeling the blast and shock, especially for Benn who felt his back was about to tear open.

(Jack) Woah, it worked… I thought Fred’s special dynamite wouldn’t work.

(Miles) You thought it wouldn’t?

(Jack) It was just a hunch. Look, it’s not my fault that I can be a bit pessimistic, I mean, we did fail to bring in Maverick like three times!

(Benn) That was because of Gwen’s hesitation.

(Jack) And every time, he somehow finds a way to recruit more mercenaries. He should run for president.

(Benn) Maverick hates the government.

(Miles) This conversation’s on hold for now, we have to carry onward!

Holstering their guns, the group of four ran towards the broken down door, dust and smoke filling up their lungs as they fought through the anguished air. Upon getting out of the lethal smoke that gagged their senses, they all saw the insides of the lobby.

With nothing but couches and coffee tables, it was just a plain run-down lobby. There was an abundance of fake plants, dirty rugs, cigarette ash holders, and most importantly of all, the stairs.

(Benn) Hold up, let me use my blessing.

Benn then closed his eyes and stood still, relaxing his breath as he focused on one thing and one thing only. For the others, they waited, guarding Benn for anything that might ambush them, their eyes peered for any enemy.

(Benn’s spiritual voice) Lend me a fly’s vision from the third-floor hallway…

In an instant, Benn was dumped to the vision of a fly. As the fly buzzed around the hallway, it lent aid to Benn’s goal, looking for any sign of a tall freckled man with long hair.

With its five eyes, it saw a man putting his right hand onto its stomach, panting and wheezing as the fly saw the man’s face pale and sweaty. Benn, who instantly noticed that familiar face, talked to the other dark angel members, his eyes remaining shut as he remained focused.

(Benn) Maverick is running away.

(Miles) Where is he, Benn? Is he heading towards the second floor?

(Benn) Yeah, looks like he’s going for—what…

If the power to the third floor was to be cut off, then the first floor-

(Jack) You gotta be shitting us? How are we going to raid a building without light?!

(Miles) Hey Benn? Can your animal or insect see in the dark?

(Benn) No.

(Miles) Alright. You can stop now Benn.

Benn then returned to his physical form, sweat forming along his forehead as he swiped it away with his arm. With everyone not being able to see clearly, Hope managed to bring out something from the side of her backpack.

(Hope) I hope this helps.

Turning on her flashlight, she held it firmly in her right hand as the rest of the group used their eyes to look around. Noticing that there was nothing particular in the lobby, Miles gave one last look before he turned his head towards the three of them.

(Miles) Let’s get up the stairs, we got to back up the others in whatever way we can … hey …do you all hear that?

As their ears perked up as the loudening footsteps were coming from the stairs, Miles turned his head towards where Hope was, quietly whispering to her with his voice gentle yet firm.

(Mile’s whispering) Hope, turn it off. Everyone, follow me.

Miles gathered the group, holding them together as they all hurriedly ran towards the lobby counter to remain hidden. On their way to the counter, Hope used her left hand to turn off the flashlight, yet she still held onto it with her right hand. As the three of them reached towards the desk, they all barely managed to reach it in time, just as the mercenaries of the blood eagles came down to the area where they were originally.

Not being able to see how many there were, the four dark angels' breathing was becoming more rapid as they were enclosed inside the lobby desk.

(Jack’s thoughts) Are they going to go or not? I hope they don’t try to pry through every single corner of this lobby.

Unfortunately, rustling was heard on the opposite side of the lobby, causing Jack to hold his hands together tightly and shut his eyes.

(Jack’s thoughts) Just imagine yourself eating cake near the ocean! Just imagine yourself eating cake near the ocean! Just imagine yourself eating cake near the ocean!

Hope as well breathed in heavily, as the mercenaries were oddly getting closer and closer to the lobby desk. Just as the rustling seemed to stop, all the dark angels sensed a person right in front of them. Considering it was pitch black, the dark angels couldn’t tell if the person in front of them could either see them or not, but one thing’s for sure…

The person in front of them isn’t friendly.

(Jack’s thoughts) Just imagine … Just imagine … Just … imagine … imagine … thought … brain … telepathy, wait…

Jack, who could somewhat see a silhouette in front of him, moved his body a bit more outward. As if readying his stance, he looked straight into the silhouette, his eyes unwavering as the air around him mystified.

(Jack’s thoughts) If I used my blessing, maybe I could dig in on some info.

As Jack’s eyes turned more brownish, he started to hear a little transmission, trying to pick up the message. Even though there was no radio on site, where can the transmission come from?

Is there some hidden radio?

(Random Blood Eagle Member #2’s thoughts) Why is it so damn hard to find bullets for our buddies? I thought the boss provided them a couple of months ago.

(Jack’s thoughts) So he doesn’t see us huh? Just looking for bullets like some idiot. Then I was worried about nothing after all—

Gunshots and fighting can be heard higher up upstairs.

(Hope’s thoughts) Oh no, are they fighting now? We’re not even towards the second level!

(Mile’s thoughts) Shit! We need to do something about that silhouette-looking figure.

In an instant, Jack quickly got up, without attracting the attention of enemies and even friendlies since Miles nor Hope ever heard his presence. Tip-toeing, Jack continued to listen to the man’s indoor voice and actions, making him more of a ninja than an elite government-funded group project.

(Jack’s thoughts) Just need … oh, alright here it is!

Grabbing from out of his pocket, he pulled out a knife with holes on its edge. Seeing that the silhouette still didn’t notice Jack’s pressure behind him, Jack took this opportunity to read his crouching stance as he pulled back his knife. Slowly standing up, he was about to lunge forward, aiming for the right side of the blood eagle member's stomach, but…

(Random Blood Eagle Member #2) Oh, Coach? Do you think these bullets would work?

The Blood Eagles member managed to turn around at the worst possible time, managing to see Jack who was behind him almost a foot away with a huge knife.

But Jack was always good with eyesight, especially in the dark. As he slowly put his knife into his pocket, Jack put his left hand in the air, and when the opportunity was right—

(Jack) Come here!

In an instant, Jack used his right hand to pull the silhouette towards him. With a twist of his hand, Jack subdued the poor member as he had his left hand on his neck, making sure his fingers were blocking all the airways that led to his lungs. With his right hand, he pulled out a leftover napkin, a napkin that was created and handed down by Luke and Fred.

(Fred in Jack’s thoughts) This napkin could put a man to sleep in 10 seconds tops! Make sure the said person has little oxygen for it to work more sufficiently!

Putting the napkin onto the Eagle’s member's nose, the member wailed his arms and legs violently as he tried to fight his way out. Fortunately, Jack was strong enough to put a grip on the man’s neck and managed to make him fall asleep.

(Jack’s thoughts) That bastard was bluffing!

But the blood eagle member made a little bit of noise when he was subdued. As Jack was taking off the Blood Eagle’s members' goggles, he put them on to get a good test drive. Seeing the entire room with clear visibility, he also saw that the other Blood Eagle members were on their way…

There weren't even just several of them. If Jack were to estimate how many were in that lobby, Jack would need four extra hands to count.

(Jack’s thoughts) Oh shit…

Thus begins the lobby holdout for Mile’s group.