Lieutenant Harris King looked away as the body of the young girl was taken away. He picked his way among the rubble of what moments ago used to be the headquarters of GeoCorp, the most powerful and richest of bio companies in Destine. Rumors that GeoCorp controlled the ruling body had been spreading like wildfire lately among the networks of Destine, and the destruction of their headquarters seemed to have added truth to that claim. As what the mysterious message that had been sent to him hours before the explosion had said. He looked up at the rain-filled sky and wondered about the seeming conspiracy involved in this chaos. Norman, what have you done? thought King
Two hours earlier...
The two figures came to a stop atop a residential block. They panted as they caught their breath and waited for their contact to arrive. The roof access door opened and introduced a tall, middle-aged man. He was similarly clad to the two figures. He too carried a duffel bag. The two figures straightened and nodded to the man. The fading sunlight enveloped their faces and the man could see their features clearly.
A younger man, in his twenties. A strong jaw and determined eyes. Wary brown eyes constantly searched the area. The wind tousled his wavy raven hair. Six 'o clock shadow covered his chin. His name was Norman.
The girl next to him looked barely out of her teens. Her golden brown hair was shoulder-length and was held together by a dirty white bandanna. Electric blue eyes shared the same expression as Norman's, but the man could see that hers were tinged with worry. Her tender face could have been mistaken for a common schoolgirl, not a Vagabond who lived in the streets. She was known as V. No one knew her real name.
The man returned Norman and V's greeting and shouldered his bag. He said to them, "Let's go." The three turned to face the GeoCorp headquarters and ran.
As the trio sped towards GeoCorp, the man was saying between breaths, "I still have my doubts of this Norman. Bringing your young one is a bit risky for all three of us."
Norman shook his head and replied, "No. V comes with us, or I'm staying behind." The man scoffed, "Ha! You'd sooner jump of a tower than remain behind for today!" Norman sighed and continued running. V offered no reply.
They were getting close. Sensors showed the three Vagabonds racing towards him and his assets. He nodded to his operators. The operators quickly started typing orders for the Destine Security Association, murmuring confirmations and counter-orders in their headsets. The main objective was:
To eliminate the Vagabonds.
The GeoCorp headquarters loomed ever closer. The man was panting more heavily than the younger Vagabonds, who only gasped lightly and occasionally. Norman asked the man, concerned, "Are you sure you can go on? V can carry the bag just fine you know." The man waved him away, retorting, "I have hid for eighteen years just for this moment, and you're asking me to back out?"
Norman tried to say more, but the man said, "Enough. We continue, the shift change for the guards is nearly time." That subject closed, the man sped up, leaving the two young Vagabonds to catch up.
As the man landed on the roof of the next building, a sound was heard. A sound that seemed as if the air was being sliced by a wide-bladed sword. Only one thing could make that noise.
The man fell on his back in surprise as a Destine Security Association personnel chopper rose into the open. The DSA trooper who manned the side guns fired. The other trooper who held a sniper rifle also fired. Both the trooper's target was the older Vagabond in front of them.
V screamed as the rounds tore into the man's body. With a cry, the man flung his duffel bag back. He flopped to the ground. He craned his head towards the two younger Vagabonds and mouthed, "Go"
His head fell back, blank eyes staring at them.
Norman grabbed hold of V and dragged her away from the body and the chopper, which turned to pursue them. V was crying silently. Norman said to her, "He's gone we can't do anything. If we want GeoCorp gone we have to keep running." V's tears continued flowing but she wrenched her hand free from Norman's grip and continued to run apace with him. The chopper continued to pursue them. The racket of sirens emanated from the murky darkness that was the streets of Destine. The sun had just set, so it should be harder for the DSA troopers to spot them. But how do I get rid of the chopper? thought Norman desperately.
Bullets ricocheted on the roofs, antennas, pipes and cranes that were Destine's rooftops. The last two Vagabonds swerved left and right as they tried to avoid the troopers' shots while attempting to make their way towards the GeoCorp headquarters. Unfortunately, with the chopper actively after them, the quickest route to the menacing tower was cut off, unless the two Vagabonds found a way to destroy or disable the chopper.
Norman started to feel his pace falter. V looked exhausted, turning corners more sluggishly than normal. Sooner or later they would tire, and the chopper would crush them. GeoCorp would never be destroyed, and the fifty-odd Vagabonds would have died for nothing. Norman kept running, pulling up V as she tripped over a cable. Seeing the long, sinewy cable gave Norman an idea. A crazy, daring idea. If it worked, he and V would get to GeoCorp in time for the shift change.
Norman grabbed V on the shoulder and steered her through a roof access door. He pulled the door shut as more shots pinged off it. He said to V, "Crazy idea time." V stared at him wide-eyed and gasping. She nodded desperately. He pulled her closer and whispered quickly. Outside, the chopper landed on the roof and dropped off several DSA troopers. The commander in the chopper shouted, "We ain't lifting off until you idiots kill those two troublemakers!" The troopers shouted affirmative as they got into formation, ready to break down the door.
As the lead trooper reached for the door, it suddenly burst open, bowling him and a few of his teammates over. The two Vagabonds knocked down the remaining standing troopers. That would only keep them stunned a few seconds, but that was all Norman and V needed. They jumped aboard the chopper and V kicked out the gunner onto the rooftop. Norman was wrestling with the commander. He shouted to her, "Get the pilots!" Already the chopper pilots had lifted off in desperation, stranding the troopers on the rooftop. They fired at the chopper in a futile attempt to get it to land as it flew away.
V squeezed into the cockpit with the two pilots. One of them noticed her and rose from his seat, hand reaching for his sidearm. V swung a punch but the pilot ducked. Her fist connected with a small locker and she cried out in pain. V doubled over as the pilot stepped forwards and grabbed her by the hair. She screamed in pain as he dragged her out of the cockpit. V kicked and struggled as the pilot pulled her along. She heard Norman call her name as he continued fighting the commander.
His desperate call fueled her with determination and she went limp. The pilot pause for a split second as he registered the sudden lack of resistance. He muttered, "What the h-" A foot kicked him in the back, propelling him forwards. He nearly fell out of the chopper but he managed to grab hold of a railing. V kicked out again, but the pilot stubbornly maintained his grip. He tried to aim his sidearm at V and stopped as a body collided with V and pushed her forwards.
V hit the pilot, and he fell screaming to his death. V would have joined him until a hand caught her arm. It was Norman who had collided with her when the commander won free of a headlock and kicked him away. With one arm holding onto the edge of the chopper and the other holding on to V, the two were in dire straits.
Norman looked up as the bruised DSA commander gazed down on him and sneered. The commander drew his knife and crouched. He waved the point at Norman's face. Norman managed to spit at him. Now angry, the commander barked, "You should have just ran home when you had the chance, boy." He raised his knife
And was kicked away as V swung up into the chopper when Norman boosted her up with his arm. The knife clattered away, its owner following it soon after, screaming curses as he plunged down. V helped Norman up and they limped towards the cockpit.
It did not take long to force the second pilot to submit, who was less braver than his copilot and his commander He reluctantly guided the chopper towards GeoCorp, his own sidearm pointed at his head. Norman, who was holding the gun, smiled at V as she leaned against a bulkhead, watching the chopper's progress. It would not be long now.
"Um, we're approaching the tower." the pilot reported. Norman grunted an acknowledgement. V tensed. The towering headquarters of GeoCorp loomed above them. Yes, it was that tall. The chopper had been flying at an altitude that dwarfed every building in Destine. They were not even at half the height of GeoCorp.
The evening brought clouds to Destine. The tiny chopper compared to the tower crept closer to its bulk. As the chopper neared, an alarm sounded in the cockpit. Norman shouted, "What's going on?" The pilot nervously replied, "W-we're being targeted! By GeoCorp's anti-air defense system! Please, I can't go on! Just give me a parachute!" The pilot shut up as Norman dug the gun into his head. V could see that the pilot's hands were shaking in fear.
The alarm shrilled as puffs of smoke were spotted on the tower. White dots streaked towards the tower. The pilot screamed and tried to run, but Norman clubbed him on the head with the gun. The pilot fell unconscious as Norman pushed him away and grabbed hold of the controls. V yelped as a missile barely missed the chopper. Norman yelled, "I'm going to fly up and into the damn tower, V! Brace yourself!" V grabbed hold of a bulkhead and did as she was told. Her wide eyes tracked the chopper's elevating altitude.
Norman was calling, "Al..most...there!" A flash of red flew past and V gulped. The chopper could never hope to outrun the missiles. Norman was swerving the chopper left and right like a maniac. With the constant moving and bumping, the unconscious pilot somehow slipped and fell out of the cockpit, into the personnel area and tumbled out of the chopper. An explosion served to tell V and Norman that a missile had impacted the pilot. V was about to yell Norman's name when all hell broke loose.
Norman cried in triumph as he smashed the chopper into the windows of GeoCorp. At the same time, two missiles hit the chopper, one in the tail and the other in the underbelly. V's vision was cluttered with flames and shrapnel as she was thrown free of the chopper. She hit her head on something and everything went dark.
V woke to someone shaking her on the shoulder. It was Norman. He breathed a sign of relief as she smiled at him. He whispered, "You're hurt." V laid a bloody hand on his grimy face. She replied hoarsely, "So are you." It was the first sentence he heard her say other than her grunts, screams or whoops. Her voice managed to be musical in such a situation. Norman said, "Say it again." V groaned in pain and whispered, "We're both hurt."
Norman tore off his tank top and bound V's midsection where most of the shrapnel got into her. His body ached as the burns and shrapnel shifted on his tired body. V wrapped up his bleeding head with her bandanna. He lifted her up, cradling her body in her arms. V whispered to him, "The charges...are they?"
Norman nodded his assent. He murmured, "They're still intact, but the detonator's gone." V stirred and asked weakly, "What?" Norman looked down at her soft face and replied, "They must be detonated manually."
V was too weak to rise as Norman laid her on the ground. It had started raining. The rain pattered into the wrecked lab. V did not have eyes for the mangled chopper, nor for the sad bodies that were clad in lab coats, or even her own wounds. She could only look at Norman's bloody, grimy yet handsome face. V said, "You can't." Norman shook his head sadly and patted her head gently. He reassured her, "You'll be fine. Remember the charges's blast are focused in a single direction, so both of us will be just fine after the explosion, except for our wounds."
V protested weakly, " But you don't know how strong the charges are. They could be too powerful. What if the reactor overloads too much and kills us both?" She had to stop as she was rocked with a wave of nausea and she fell back coughing. Norman said, "It doesn't matter, what matters is that GeoCorp would be gone soon. We're doing this for everyone in Destine. So help me and shut up." V fell silent as he kissed her on the forehead.
As Norman got up, he felt V grab hold of his arm. He leaned down so V could whisper into his ear, "I'm not a kid anymore, but promise me that you'll come back." Norman clasped her hand and replied, "I will. Hang tight, V." V shook her head and said, "No, its Viola."
Norman limped down to the heavy steel doors that led to the reactor. He punched in the codes and waited as the doors slid open with a metallic groan. He walked inside, doors closing behind him, clinging the duffel bag as if he would die if he let go. He gingerly walked across the walkway that connected the reactor to the doors. He quickly got out the charges and wedged them into the reactor. He fiddled with the wires and chips as he tried to activate them. As he neared completion, a booming voice sounded from speakers hidden in the darkness.
"So you, Vagabond, have come to destroy my life's work. You'll find that I have the entire top ten levels rigged to blow at a push of a button. That includes the level you and I are trapped on. No elevator, no stairs, no escape whatsoever. I would rather have both of us dead than only me. Igneous, your explosives are. A directed blast, straight into the core of my reactor. I wish you the best of luck, you cannot find it here. All of us shall die." warbled the voice.
Norman held up the last two wires and muttered, "This is for Destine and Viola." The wires sparked as he twined them together.
A flash of light and tremendous heat, and time and meaning ceased to exist for him.
Viola managed to prop herself up and she was slowly, ever so slowly, edging towards the reactor room. Her sides, her legs, basically everything cried out in pain. She gritted her teeth and plodded along. She had this ominous sense that something bad was about to happen. She crept closer, and closer. The steel doors greeted her as she neared the reactor and Norman. Viola heard a muffled thump and a rumble spread across the floor, the entire tower.
Viola fell to the floor. She felt a giant wave of heat and force overwhelm her. She only had time to whisper, "Norman." before she was thrown back, far, far back. Back out of a window, and into the storming night. She fell as clouds of fire and smoke enveloped the top of GeoCorp. The rain was a comfort, washing away the blood and grime from her exhausted body. She clutched Norman's tank top, still wrapped around her body. At least all the Vagabonds can celebrate the downfall of GeoCorp together.
Viola closed her eyes as she plummeted down into the warm embrace of the darkness-shrouded ground thousands of feet below. The rain kept her cool on her last journey. She gripped the chain her late parents gave her. I'm going home. Viola's last thoughts were before she hit the wet ground, rain plastering her body.
Keep Running
Inspired by Mirror's Edge
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