After kicking ass in Cairo, the four of us called up our headquarters back in the US. The Director gave us a drop off for Tara, the malicious Black Star 'Lieutenant' that owned the ass that had previously kicked by all four of us. We took her there, and once she had been collected, a plan was brainstormed for how to get to our next destination: Greece.
"We could get a ferry thats crossing the Mediterranean." Charlie suggested.
"How're we supposed to get tickets to get on one of them?" Felix asked.
"No clue." I chimed in. "But it's the only option we have right now." And thus, our trek to the nearest port began.
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Moving from the outskirts of the city into the centre was a jarring change. The warehouse in which we had our skirmish with Tara was in a wasteland-type area, people holed up in their houses, scared of new people in their slums. But the sudden bustle of Cairo soon became apparent. Our ears were overloaded with Egyptian shouting and aggressive car horns. Thoughts couldn't get through our heads, but we drilled it into ourselves to stick close together, and to just keep heading north if we were to ever separate.
The small journey took us through a crowded marketplace, with a plethora of items ready to be perused. Fruits and vegetables differing in vibrance and rarity lay in shoddy wooden crates. Fresh meat was strung up, cuts of pork and beef alike displayed for all to see. My attention was stolen for too long. Looking back in the direction I was walking, I could no longer see Flo. Or Charlie. Or Felix. I was lost from them. No matter. I just needed to keep pushing forwards. I did just that, until a moody market-goer pushed me aside. I wasn't knocked to the ground, just pushed more and more through the crowd, as if it were a giant human pinball machine. I did end up tripping over some rope, however, stumbling into an alleyway between two houses.
Great. Just what I need. No way to get back into the ocean of people without being crushed by the mob like an apple in a cider press. I looked around for options, and luckily one of the houses had a ladder leading right up to the roof! Perfect! I started climbing, thinking about how I could walk across the rooftops, still being able to head north in the process. When I did reach the top, and I pulled myself onto some wooden decking, I was greeted by some displeased Egyptian residents.
"Ma aldhy tafealuh hna?" One of them said.
"Sorry, I don't understand you!" I answered, attempting to signal that I was a foreigner.
" 'anzal al'an!" They all stood up and started walking to me. The rooftops were my best chance at catching up with the others. Picking myself up, I ran at the Egyptian roof-dwellers and shoved my way past them.
"Sorry!" I shouted.
"Baedah!" They started running after me. Short gaps separated each building, so I could easily traverse between them. That also meant my pursuers could too. Hopping gaps, I was gradually getting further and further away from them. This was easy! Agent powers aided me in my escape, of course, but I could now see my friends approaching the dock. Felix was grabbing their attention, alerting them to the fact that I was missing. Looking ahead, I saw only a couple of houses left until I had to drop down to street level. And a moving car. The perfect crash mat. I leapt off of the final roof.
I don't know if the huge crunch that happened when I landed was because of my bones of the car, but my adrenaline was spiking too much to be able to care. Rolling down the front window off of the bonnet, I limped my way over to Felix. The adrenaline boost made me repair myself a lot faster, but my ribs and shins still ached.
"Rhys what the hell was that!" Flo shouted.
"A crash landing." I retorted with wit, "Now how do we get on that ferry!" It's horn started blasting. It has already broken off from the pier. It was too late.
"Laqad damarat siaratiun lltw!" The driver of the car had stepped out angrily, clutching his side. Luckily he was not critically injured.
"I don't know if you understand me, but I am terribly sorry, sir!"
"Rhys look!" Felix brought my attention to the trailer on the back of the car. Oh my god.
"A boat?" Enough to barely squeeze us four onto it, and an engine just powerful enough to catch up to the ferry.
"Hurry, or we won't get to Greece in time!" Charlie hitched the boat off of the trailer and effortlessly hauled it over to the water. All of us hopped in and she started the engine. We started speeding after the ferry, but not too far or else the waves will swallow up our craft. "Got any more ideas Rhys?"
"Ok, so, Flo, you take over on the engine. Charlie will jack up and throw Felix and I onto the ship. Then she'll throw you, Flo, and then you'll stretch out and lift her onto the boat."
"Huh?" Felix said, confused.
"I'm going to throw you now!" Charlie picked him up as Flo began to keep control. He was tossed straight onto the deck of the ferry. There were some confused shrieks from the passengers. "Now you!" Grabbing me on my waist she threw me to join Felix. Soon after that, Flo was quick to join us.
"Grab her now! Quick!" She extended down towards the boat. Sure enough, Charlie was soon pulled onboard as well. The journey was a success. We showed our F.B.I badges to the confused Captains and passengers, sat ourselves down and waited until the ferry landed in Greece. It shouldn't take too long to get there. Should it?
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A great, bellowing horn blared, waking me up from a long sleep. Clutching my head, I rose to see my friends rise with me. We had arrived in Greece. We took what little we had and made our way off of the ferry. I sensed the warmth of lamps and lights that greeted us as we walked along the dock. I asked for the time. "21:27." Felix responded. Our journey must've taken at least half a day. Surveying the harbour, I lay my hands on signs labelling reserved moorings. They were in yet another language that none of us understood. We were completely lost as to our next goal. "Where the hell do we go from here?"
"I think I do." Charlie pointed our attention to an aloof-stanced, sunglasses-donning man on the sidewalk. She informed me of a piece of paper he was holding that had each of our respective Agent numbers written in black marker. Cautiously we approached, wary of any sudden movements he might have made. As we neared, he looked over the top of his sunglasses to examine our faces.
"Are you the Agents?" He said, pointing at the paper in his hand. Charlie nodded. "It is Justin you're looking for, right? Follow me." He turned and beckoned us his way. We followed.
We made our way through the streets of the Greek town. Or city. I couldn't tell. Not enough people or vehicles were moving about to give me any vibrations to sense. Only the footsteps of my peers and this supposed ally of ours. Throughout the trek I made attempts to extend the range of my sensory abilities, incorporating smells and sounds into my perception of reality. Soon I was met with the crunching of leaves and the faint stench of animal droppings. We were now making our way through a small wooded area. Felix took my hand in the event that I made any incorrect footing. His touch was warm. Calming.
"Where are you taking us?" Charlie asked the stranger.
"I told you. I'm helping to find Justin." His tone was subtly bitter. Felix squeezed my hand. I knew what to do. Become a lie detector again.
"No, but more specifically. Where?"
"I can't say. Who knows who may be watching?" A beat in his heart skipped. He knew something. Maybe someone was watching. I had my doubts at that. For all I know we're in the middle of nowhere. Who'd follow us out here? "Besides," he continued, "it would ruin the surprise."
"Whatever you say, Mister." Charlie ended the questions, seemingly disappointed at the lack of answers. The wind began to pick up. I heard a quiet flapping of a long jacket. Not one of ours, but the man's. He pulled it closer to him, not with bare hands, but with rubber gloves. This was all very curious.
"Who sent you, anyway?" Flo questioned.
"I'm an informant." He answered. There wasn't a lie there. Finally, some information.
"Who for?"
"I'm an informant." He just repeated what he said. No lie was detected, because was the same thing.
Eventually the terrain switched from sticks and dirt to stone. We stopped. What didn't stop was Felix's gentle clasp of my hand.
"Do you recognise where we are?" We were asked. I shook my head. So did the others. "We're at the Temple of Zeus."
"Why did we take that path? We could've come through the city." Charlie asked.
"Like I said, who knows who could be watching? I came through here so no one would see." Again, no lies were found.
"So where is Justin?"
"I'll get there, just wait." He spoke through his teeth. Felix grew nervous. He clasped my hand tighter."This Temple holds significance. It's a Temple to a great and powerful God. The king of the Greek Gods, of course. And what power he wielded."
"Why the tangent?"
"Just hold on!" Anger seeped into his tone. Felix tightened his grip more. "This power can be harnessed. Did you know that? I'm guessing that you don't. And did you know that Gods are actually real? Would it excite you to know that we can take that power for ourselves? We can take it, mould it, use it to make significant change in the world! That's what we can do! Together!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Charlie shouted.
"Shut the fuck up!" He screamed. Charlie's heart stopped. Felix gripped my hand in fear. The man opened up his jacket to reveal what he was concealing. Two pistols! He took them and aimed directly at us. Out of the bushes, a great wave of people emerged. All holding weapons of their own. This is the 'us', the 'we' that he was talking about. Black Star.
"You're..." Felix spoke, timidly. The man aimed at him.
"What was that? Speak up!"
"You're Justin." The man removed his sunglasses.
"The one and only!" A malicious grin crept across his face. He was nothing like Tara. No sense of cunning. No scheming attitude. Nothing like that. He was the complete opposite. Cocky, overly ambitious, no subtlety to his feelings. "Now, what was I talking about before I was so rudely interrupted?"
"Harnessing the power of Zeus." Felix added.
"Thank you! As I was saying..." But he was interrupted yet again. Felix let go of my hand. I heard the crackle and spark of electricity. He had been charging up the whole time! That's why his grip was tightening! He fired the largest blast of electrical discharge I had ever seen! It conducted straight into Justin's guns, blasting him backwards. The soldiers cocked their weapons, aiming directly at us. Flo stretched out and took Justin's dropped pistols, handing them to Charlie and I. We all stood back to back, ready to retaliate at any attackers. I could hear the slow rise of Justin as he tried to find some footing. "The power of Zeus! You have already found it!"
"Nope. Just electric eel DNA." Felix said, denying his insane assumption.
"Oh. I see. Then wouldn't like to achieve the level of power?"
"Being a God? Seems like too much responsibility. Also seems impossible."
"Your friend is blind, but can still see clear as day." I sensed him gesture towards me. "Does that not seem impossible to you?" Felix had no answer.
"We would never join Black Star!" Spat Charlie.
"Shame. Otherwise we would have spared you." He signalled for his men to fire. They did.
Flo stretched herself out to protect us. She was riddled with bullets, but they were nullified by her rubber body. Once their magazines were emptied, we dispersed. Flo and Felix took the right, Charlie and I took the left. He could use his electric attacks without fear of incapacitating any of us. The first thing I heard him do was fire off another electric blast. Next to me, I could hear Charlie straining as she boosted her muscle size. She had grown twice as tall as she usually did before that, and her arms grew twice the size as well. She began battering the enemy, slamming them into each other. She was a hulking brute. I ran at my first foe, pistol whipping him then shooting his knees out, finishing with a knee to the jaw. Two soldiers ran at me, swiping at me with bayonets. I dodged their advances, shooting their hands to disarm them, finishing them off with swift bullets to the skull. I stole the bayonets off of their rifles. They were a decent size. 7 inches. Impressive. Charlie lifted up two of the soldiers and shouted to me: "Catch!" She threw them at me, and I caught them on the blades, skewering them. I removed the weapons and threw them at two others with deadly accuracy. I gathered magazines and an assault rifle to pick off the rest of the infantrymen. Charlie kept cracking craniums with her juggernaut strength, and I used my marksman abilities to rid the battlefield of any survivors or stragglers. With one brutal stomp, Charlie finished off the last of our opponents.
We both made our way to Justin, crossing paths with both Flo and Felix. I aimed my rifle at him and shouted: "You're army is defeated! You're outnumbered! You have no weapon! Surrender, Justin! And tell us what we need to know!"
"This is it! This is exactly what Master predicted! Backed into a corner, with only one desperate attempt left..."
"Get to the point!" Charlie roared, "Who is the 'Master' you're talking about?"
"You know something? You're really fucking annoying!" He pulls out a third gun and fires.
It goes straight through Charlie's head.
She slumps down into a motionless lump. Her muscles shrank back down to a normal size.
Our jaws dropped in shock. We all cried out at once. In anger. In desperation. In pain. I rushed to her corpse, throwing away my rifle. I held her in my arms. Tears streamed down my face. I could sense Flo. A rush of adrenaline had burst through her system.
"Yes! Master was right! One shall die at my hand! And then another shall attack!" Flo stretched her fist out in rage, aiming right for Justin's head. But he countered with his own punch. But not just any punch. He too had stretched out his arm.
"What? You're rubber too?" Felix shouted, confused.
"Wrong!" He threw another punch, which Flo caught. "I'm much, much more!" He shrugged off his jacket to reveal a horrifying sight. More horrifying than that of Tara's scorpion tail. Another arm. And then another. And yet another. He boasted an astonishing eight extendable limbs. "I have been blessed with octopus DNA! I am one of mankind's greatest creations! Yet most terrifying mistake!" He began attacking all of us at once. I tried to shoot one of his arms, but he quickly knocked my rifle out of my hands. He then grabbed me and lifted me off of the ground. Being crushed in midair, I could do nothing but cry out. Felix tried to get to me, but was fighting two of arms at once. He was blocking the hits, but was being prevented from reaching me. Flo, fuelled by anger, sprang at Justin, trying to get close. He brought me closer to him and slammed me into her. We both fell to the ground.
"Don't you dare try to copy our friend!"
"Why? She isn't here to claim what move is hers!" Flo got angry once again, leaping at him with a flurry of blows. Justin blocked some of them, but was then locked in close combat with Flo. They were equal, but he was physically stronger. She wouldn't hold out for long. I scrambled towards Felix and picked up my gun. I went to aim and shoot at Justin, but nothing fired. My magazine was empty. I reached for my belt, but I had no more clips. I had used them all against the soldiers. But then I came up with a plan. It was risky, but was the only alternative. I took the bayonet and signalled Felix to come with me. We both ran at Justin. He had now overpowered Flo with his multitude of tentacle arms. I threw the bayonet.
It hit him in the stomach. Not a critical blow, but enough to stagger him. "Now fry him, Felix!" He knew exactly what I meant. He fired a bolt from his fingers directly at the blade. The instantaneous surge of electricity near-paralysed Justin. His assault on Flo ceased, and he started twitching and jerking on the ground. We had won. But at what cost?
Flo took Justin's gun and held it against his head. Riddled with grief, she screamed in his ear: "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't fucking kill you right now!" My eyes widened in shock. This wasn't the Flo I knew at all. She's never this violent.
"This isn't what Master said would happen." Justin said, desperately.
"Who is this Master? And why didn't Tara mention this guy?"
"She was never as devoted as me. It's a good thing she won't be a part of our great organisation."
"Who the fuck is he!"
"He is incomprehensible. Far beyond your understanding. His goals are noble, his beliefs are just!"
"Just plain stupid! That's what they are!" She pressed the gun harder.
"Master will not be pleased." He shed a tear. "He will be disappointed."
"This guy's a lunatic! We should kill him now, put him out of his misery!" Flo put her finger on the trigger.
"Hold on, we still don't know where we can find Roger!"
"Roger? That's who you want?" Justin asked. "You'll never find him! It's impossible! That guy is a ghost!"
"See? He won't give us answers!"
"No. I won't. So kill me." He took the barrel of the pistol. "Kill me now. So I can join your friend in hell!" In one last violent outburst, Flo pulled the trigger.
His head was blown open.
In floods of tears, she emptied the magazine into his lifeless corpse. She screamed in agony with each pill of the trigger. And when the weapon stopped firing, she collapsed, choking on her tears. We all went to Charlie's body and mourned the loss of a dear friend.
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Whilst Felix was calling for an immediate extraction and Flo continued crying into Charlie's body, I surveyed the area. I took deep breaths to try and sense any more potential attackers. I couldn't find anything, except for the engines of a few cars and the footsteps of some woodland wildlife. Then I heard a faint buzz. I turned and heard it coming from Justin's jacket pocket. I cautiously made my way over to it, and answering the phone. "Hello?" I answered.
"Rhys. Hello."
"How do you-?"
"I take it that Justin is dead, hm?"
"W-what?"
"Is Justin dead?"
"Yes he is. We killed him."
"As predicted. How unfortunate. Yet the flow of time cannot be halted."
"How does your master predict time?"
"That is not something for me to disclose. You do know who I am, correct?"
"You killed my father. You killed my mother. You murdered my friends families. I think I have an idea of who you might be, Roger."
"Good. So trauma hasn't blocked your memory."
"Why the fuck are you calling?"
"To continue the flow of time. Top of WTC. August 11th. 2:30pm. I shall be waiting for you."
"You what?"
Click.
He hung up.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
