Chapter 17: Combining hunger with the desire to eat
In the lower parts of T-Bone Junction, Maxwell was warming up for a small run. The platforms below the main town were supported by rusty and precarious structures, forming a tangle of walkways and makeshift houses. There, in the deepest layers, lived the poorest, in an area suspended over a chasm that led straight into the Badlands desert.
"Sir, do you think this is a smart idea? There are better places to test your Jump Kit," Spyglass' voice echoed over the communicator, his image appearing in the top corner of Maxwell's display. "I'm afraid the environmental conditions are unfavorable; the wind is against you. There's a 38% chance of you falling."
"Falling is not the problem. Tell me what the chances are of me dying in this race?"
Spyglass hesitated. "0.001%," he replied in an instant. "The equipment is new, but there's always a margin of error in my calculations... Sir?"
"Sir?"
[STR: 50>65] [END: 50>65] [DEX: 50>65]
"YAAAWOOOOO!" Maxwell shouted, releasing a 50% adrenaline charge. He felt his body pushing its limits, every muscle fiber electrified, his mind racing to ridiculous levels. The speed was such that he left afterimages of himself, like an accelerated blur in the air.
Without hesitation, Maxwell launched himself from the edge of the platform, his body feeling like it was flying. The wind roared around him, buffeting the suit and trying to destabilize it. Gravity quickly began to pull him down, and the Badlands desert floor was fast approaching.
[STR: 59] [END: 59] [DEX: 59]
In the middle of the fall, Maxwell activated the Jump Kit's thrusters. A blast of energy came out of the back of the suit, creating an opposing force that launched him upwards again. The impact of the explosion coursed through his body, forcing his muscles to absorb the shock, but he maintained control.
He adjusted the angle of his body in the air, heading for the nearest wall.
For many, the idea of running on such a steep surface would be sheer insanity, something straight out of the tales of ninjas and wizards. Who in their right mind would try to run on a wall literally perpendicular to the ground?
But with Titanfall's technology, it was possible. This wasn't magic, but pure science.
Arriving at his destination, the impact against the wall was absorbed by the boot's cushioning system. Maxwell began to run, it was a little uncomfortable for his spine, but he couldn't allow himself to lose momentum. His Jump Kit responded immediately when his feet touched the wall, adjusting the thrusters, delinking one, and leaving only the side opposite the wall to create an opposing force.
[STR: 54] [END: 54] [DEX: 54]
Maxwell jumped from wall to wall, he had probably covered almost a third of the city, but he wouldn't stop until he had completed his goal.
[Ninja Warrior: While wall-running, cover 1/3/5 kilometers
(X) - Grappler
() - ???
() - ???]
[(Gear) Grappler: The grapple is great for getting to hard-to-reach places quickly. It can also be used to pull enemies closer.]
With the system screen flashing, Maxwell knew his race was over. Retrieving his reward, a glove materializes, and before gravity takes his new equipment away, Maxwell grabs it and attaches it to his wrist.
Raising his arm, his visor calculates the trajectory, and with his destination in mind, he releases the hook, which flies into T-Bone's upper body, catching on a building before pulling his body up.
"WOOOW FUUUUUCK!" Maxwell shouted as he was quickly pulled up by the hook. He was so fast that he ended up exceeding the height of the building, going beyond the point where the cable should have stopped him.
"Huh? It must have been the wind," commented someone on the balcony of the building when he felt a strong gust. Looking around and seeing nothing, he shook his head in confusion.
From high above, Maxwell had an impressive view of T-Bone Junction. His gaze fixed on the vast expanse of sand that made up the Badlands, and he wondered in which direction Dead Island lay. The city below seemed tiny, and the sight gave him a sense of freedom and power.
[STR: 50] [END: 50] [DEX: 50]
His contemplative moment was interrupted when gravity finally pulled his body down. Instead of resisting, Maxwell plunged into the fall, accelerating toward the ground. As the city floor rapidly approached, his Jump Kit released a powerful stream of energy, slowing his descent and allowing for a smooth, controlled landing.
"Satisfied, sir?" Spyglass's voice sounded through the communicator. Despite his cold, robotic intonation, Maxwell could have sworn there was a hint of reprimand.
"Almost," Maxwell replied, rubbing his hands together enthusiastically, a mischievous smile forming inside his helmet. "Now I want to test my Cloak. Quick, find me the nearest women's restroom."
"I don't think that will be possible, sir," Spyglass replied, his voice remaining as neutral as ever.
"I'm just going to have a look, I swear I won't touch anything," Maxwell insisted, trying to hold back his laughter.
"That's not it," Spyglass continued, this time in more detail. "The Vault Hunters killed a Rakk Hive and invaded Old Haven. The latest news I've been able to gather indicates that they were heading for the Salt Flats. Everything is happening as you said."
"What? So fast?!" Maxwell's eyes widened in surprise. "There's no time to lose. I need to get to Crimson Fastness as quickly as possible."
"I'm on my way to pick you up, sir," replied Spyglass, and without wasting any time he switched on the Samson and headed for Maxwell's location.
— Break —
In Fastness Crimson. Two Crimson Lance soldiers were patrolling the fortress prison, exchanging small talk to pass the time. The place was silent, except for the occasional sound of a creaking metal door and the constant hum of the ventilation system. The older soldier, a burly man with gray hair and an expression hardened by experience, while his younger colleague, with a clean face and attentive eyes, fiddled with an ECHO.
"Damn man, those four Vault Hunters are a real problem," commented the younger soldier, trying to sound nonchalant. "I can't believe they'd screw over an HG in Old Haven. Now they fuck up with the ECHOnet."
The older soldier snorted, crossing his arms. "Those amateurs don't stand a chance against the Crimson Lance. With Steele in charge, they eventually-"
"But did you see that red-haired woman? What a hottie chick!" The young soldier giggled but received no response from his friend. "Come on, man, don't be gay."
"..."
The younger soldier frowned, not understanding his friend's silence. Confused, the soldier slowly turned around to see what had captured his colleague's attention.
To his horror, he saw that a shadowy figure stood behind the old soldier, one gloved hand pressed firmly against his mouth, while the other twisted his neck in a silent, lethal arm wrench. The older soldier struggled to free himself, but in a matter of seconds, his body sagged and he was gently laid on the ground by the mysterious attacker.
The younger soldier tried to reach his weapon with trembling hands, but before he could reach his weapon, a shadow advanced towards him. A pair of firm hands grabbed his throat with relentless force. He tried to scream, but only a muffled sound came out of his mouth. His feet left the ground as his assailant lifted him effortlessly. The soldier's vision began to darken, bright spots dancing in his eyes as he struggled uselessly.
"I need to learn a CQC skill, using brute force alone seems too amateurish." one mutters from the shadows.
His attacker releases his grip, letting it fall to the ground before disappearing like smoke. Suddenly the two soldiers' bodies began to be dragged by an invisible force into a dark, hidden place.
The invisible figure seemed to have been attracted by a female voice in one of the cells, his footsteps hurrying towards it.
"Fools, they confiscated all my belongings, but they didn't take my ECHO. Beginner's mistake," Tannis laughs to herself, proud of her incredible genius. "Even with ECHOnet turned off, I can still send my location to the Vault Hunters via radio frequency."
"I wouldn't put too much faith in that option, Dr. Patricia Tannis," a disembodied voice sounded through the prison.
Tannis' heart almost leaped into her throat, not expecting to find anyone there. Like a ghost, a man emerged from the void, standing right in front of the cell where Tannis was being held.
"Who are you?" Tannis took a step back, her eyes widening at the sudden appearance. She deduced that the stranger was from some corporation, given his clothing.
"Maxwell Willians. Titan pilot in training, and mercenary in his spare time," Maxwell extends his hand into the cell, hoping for a handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet the famous Dr. Tannis in person finally."
"Hm, I can't say the same," Tannis wasn't so easy to believe others, many might underestimate her for being a woman and a researcher, but she had her share of experiences. Having survived so long in Pandora, even after Dahl's departure, served as irrefutable proof.
Lowering his hand, Maxwell sighed. The woman was very self-centered and paranoid.
"Are you waiting for the Vault Hunters to rescue you? I wonder what makes you so confident that they wouldn't come here just for revenge." Maxwell crosses his arms, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I know where Steele is going with the key. If you kill me now, you'll miss the last chance to get to the Vault," Tannis retorted, crossing her arms as well. But internally she was alarmed, this person seemed to know about his involvement with the Vault Hunters.
"They could argue that you'd be ambushing them to finish the job," Maxwell argues back, amused by Tannis' stubbornness. "Besides, what's to stop them from killing you once they've received the information they need?"
The Vault Hunters wouldn't do that, but Tannis didn't need to know this information.
"That's..." Tannis' breath caught in her throat, the color draining from her face.
Maxwell was right, after what she had done, it would be too innocent for the Vault Hunters to forgive her, let alone rescue her. Tannis wasn't afraid of dying, she was carrying a lot of trauma from the long time she had been exposed to Pandora, and death seemed more like a relief.
But Tannis didn't want to die yet, she still had so much unfinished research, and she didn't want to die as soon as she was scraping the tip of the iceberg that was the Eridian race. She refused to leave for the afterlife after so many years of suffering on Pandora for her work, she had lost so many loved ones, and so many friends.
"What the hell do you want?"
"I want you..."
Tannis froze as if lightning had struck her, her arms unconsciously protecting her breasts.
Maxwell fumbles for a moment, rephrasing.
"I want your services as a researcher, I want you to work for me," It might seem an exaggeration for him to have done all this for just one researcher, but given the limited evidence and the great skepticism of even large corporations, professionals trained in Eridian technology were very rare.
"And if you're doubting my ability to protect you. I made my way here alone," Maxwell showed his Data Knife, there was a bit of blood on the blade. "Do you think the Vault Hunters would do all this without alarming the entire base? The soldiers would silence you so as not to reveal the location of the Vault when they discover that the fortress has been compromised."
Tannis hesitated but could see no better alternative. Working for a lone mercenary seemed rather degrading for a prestigious researcher like herself, but there have been worse times.
"Okay, I'm in, I just hope I don't regret this choice." Tannis steps forward and extends her hand for a handshake.
"I'd do my best for you don't." he raised his own hand, firm and secure, and shook it. His grip was strong, but controlled, as he had no intention of breaking the woman's hand candy.
Letting go of Tannis' hand, he grabbed the iron bars of the cell with both hands and with a little effort bent the iron to make room for Tannis to get out.
"Brute, but I can't say I swim against efficiency." Tannis squeezed through the bars and followed Maxwell out of his cell. She was tidying up her crumpled clothes and messy brown hair.
"Perimeter clear, Spyglass. Get in the truck and have the Marvins round up the bodies," Maxwell ordered through his communicator, Spyglass was waiting in the Samson with the Marvins a few kilometers away from Crimson Fastness. "I'll be going after Steele before she opens the Vault."
"Understood, sir!"
"Stay here Tannis," Maxwell turns to the woman, plugging in his comm to keep in touch. "My robots are on their way, they'll stay with you here. Don't go up the mountain under any circumstances."
Tannis nods, she didn't suspect that the man was plotting something against her.
Maxwell sighs with relief. He managed to convince Tannis not to call in the Vault Hunters, it might have been petty of him, but he didn't want the quartet to open the Vault. That would destroy John's whole chain of plans and give him time to carry out his own.
Maxwell had no idea how much information John had on the Vault, but why would the man go after what, for many, was considered just a myth or a fairy tale?
He deduced a few options.
The first was simple. John manipulated the Vault Hunters into opening the Vault with the help of his daughter, Angel. His intention was just to open the Vault, hoping for the best, without knowing what was inside.
Or he knew what was inside, and wanted to use The Destroyer, either the creature itself or the remains. The latter was more valid, since that's exactly what he did, building a laser using the Destroyer's eye as a focal lens.
But there was the last assumption, the one that made Maxwell take action and interrupt the canonical events of the first game:
Eridium
John wants to open the Vault because Eridium could supposedly be acquired that way. He would bring the Helios station close to Pandora to mine Eridium, not only to get a lot of money but also to gain greater authority within Hyperion, to carry out his central plan.
To conquer and civilize Pandora. John himself was a native of the planet and had a great resentment towards Dahl for having dumped its prisoners on the planet and worsening living conditions with the large influx of bandits that grew in subsequent years. So his biggest dream was to have the planet, his homeland, become a clean and safe place.
Unfortunately for John, Maxwell wouldn't be letting things go so smoothly. He also wants a slice of that fortune with mining, and for that, he needs to get Angel out of ECHOnet, who was reporting on everything that was happening in Pandora. If he opened the Vault and started mining Eridium even though Angel was spying on him, everything would go down the drain if John discovered Eridium's presence.
Maxwell wasn't prepared to face a corporation alone, he needed an army, capable people, technology, and heavy weaponry. Above all, he needed the Titans.
Chapter 18: You're pretty good
"Hey, wait! I haven't told you where the Vault is yet!" Tannis holds Maxwell's shoulder. "You'll need to go to the top of the mountain and manually turn on the transmitter consoles in three separate buildings."
"Guardians are invading Crimson Enclave, Steele poked a hornet's nest with a popsicle stick," Maxwell strokes Tannis' hair, trying to calm the woman down. "Just give me your ECHO, I'll transfer the data using my equipment."
Tannis hands over her ECHO with an emotionless face but inwardly embarrassed by Maxwell's sudden action. He quickly uses his Data Knife to collect the Vault's coordinates before leaving.
Maxwell hears the muffled noise of a car arriving, going to where the Lancers were parked, he meets Spyglass.
"Great, you're already here. I need you to protect Tannis while retrieving the Vault's key. Don't hesitate to use my P2016." Maxwell orders, he hands over the weapons he collected from the soldiers to the Marvins. Although his combat intelligence was rather limited, it was still better than being unarmed.
"Are you going unarmed?" Spyglass noticed that his superior was equipped only with bladed weapons.
"No. I bought a gun for the occasion." Punctuating his words Maxwell pulls a sniper from his ECHO, the gun's barrel was stupidly long and there was a muzzle brake at the end of the barrel, along with a Picatinny rail for scopes. Not to mention its magazine, where the bullets were easily bigger than his finger.
[(Weapons) Kraber-AM Sniper: .57-cal Sniper Rifle, Bolt-action, Magazine Capacity of 5 and 6x Zoom Scope as default weapon sight. A deadly sniper capable of killing any human with a single shot. $37c]
[Credits: $179]
He would be buying a new secondary weapon later, but for now Kraber would be more than enough. This thing was Anti-Material, it could cause serious damage to Titans when used in conjunction with Amped, a little monster that would later be nerfed in Titanfall 2 to a .50 cal and a smaller magazine, so he preferred to use the version from the first game.
After a quick check of his equipment, Maxwell took one of the Lancers parked at the base and headed for the coordinates of the Vault. He vaguely remembered that the Destroyer's Vault was located in a very cold environment, and was also infested with Eridian Guardians, machines created by the Eridians to protect the Vaults.
Leaving the Lancer behind, Maxwell makes the rest of the way on foot. He met Atlas squadrons several times, and with his pilot's outfit being red in an all-white environment, Maxwell stood out like a sore thumb. Fortunately, he could turn invisible, which allowed him to pass through without any problems.
The entrance was quiet, but as he reached The Descent things became more chaotic. Atlas soldiers and Guardians were engaged in a savage confrontation all the way through the Vault.
Maxwell had to take a few breaks between his Cloak's cooling time, he couldn't afford to waste time on these little squabbles so he couldn't draw too much attention to himself.
As he advanced, he saw a large stone monument in the distance, at the top of the mountain. It was the Vault, or what was left of it, since it was in ruins. The prison of the creature that could swallow the entire universe and also the key to wealth was in a horrible condition, a little worrying, but the Eridians knew how to make things last for a long time.
His eyes move to the path, and see footprints left in the snow. Raising his Kraber, Maxwell sees through the scope a squadron marching towards the Vault. He didn't care about the soldiers making their way to the Vault, but focused on a beautiful white-haired woman, her blue tattoos giving away her identity.
Commander Steele. A Siren that even a fan of the franchise like Maxwell didn't know what her Siren power was, she was one of the few figures explored given her untimely death. Too bad she was loyal to Atlas.
"9 targets, minor infantry. Two corporals and a lieutenant."
Maxwell sighs, a little saddened by the woman's fate. It seemed that not even in this universe with a variable like him, Stelee would still die.
Anyway, he pulled the trigger.
*BAANG*
The Kraber's sound was so loud that even with his helmet's advanced sound suppression systems, Maxwell still felt his eardrums ring for a moment and a slight jerk. Fortunately, the muzzle brake made the recoil manageable at human levels, although his STR status of 50 also helped a lot.
Kraber's bullet flies to its destination, falling a little due to its weight, but Maxwell had included the fall in his calculations and still hit the unsuspecting Siren.
Steele's shield is torn like paper before her body is thrown forward, falling face-first into the snow. The surrounding soldiers panic at the sight of their commander lying in a huge pool of blood and pieces of what's left of her organs.
"COMMANDER! QUICK, PROTECT THE COMMANDER!"
Stelee agonized for a few seconds before succumbing to her injuries, even though the squad medic had reacted quickly and dragged the woman to safety and stabbed his commander with a dozen metabolism syringes.
*BAANG*
"We are under attack!"
"Sniper! Cover fire!!!"
"Find cover!"
The Atlas soldiers found themselves in a mess without their commander, they tried to eliminate the threat, but found themselves divided as they tried to find cover in the rocks of the mountain. None of them wanted to risk relying on their shields, Steele's lifeless body proving that shields were useless against the enemy's weaponry.
Pulling the bolt, the bullet casing spat out of the Kraber, leaving the hot object to melt into the snow. Maxwell quickly repositioned the gun on his back and began to run. Moments later, a shower of bullets began to hit the spot where he was standing, cutting through the air and the ground.
"Fuck, He became invisible! Watch out he must have stolen it from some lancer assassin." The lieutenant shouts, he was the most experienced on the scene and could reason quickly. "Look out for footprints in the sn—"
The lieutenant's eyes widened as he felt a pair of hands touch his neck, and before he could do anything about it, his world turned 180 degrees.
*Crack*
Maxwell's invisibility is deactivated, his head turns towards the soldiers next to him, who feel their legs go limp as they feel Maxwell's focus on them. They thought that with the end of their enemy's concealment, things would go in their favor, but being face-to-face with Maxwell seemed much worse.
"What the hell!"
"Don't get close!"
The soldiers raised their weapons, but in their moment of hesitation they didn't see three pointed objects flying towards them, there was a faint golden glow emanating from it.
"Ahhh!"
"MY EYE!"
"Fuck fuck fuck!"
The soldiers are stunned by the kunai, and before they can recover, Maxwell appears as a shadow in front of them, kicking the kunai stuck in the eye of one of the soldiers, plunging the blade into his brain, killing him instantly.
The soldier next to him, seeing his partner die so violently, grits his teeth pulls the kunai out of his leg and throws it at Maxwell to distract him, giving him enough time to fire his gun. He just didn't expect Maxwell to grab the kunai in mid-air with his hands and throw it back at him.
"*GUK*" His eyes widen as he feels his mouth fill with a strong taste of iron, and he drops his machine gun. He was ready to accept his fate when he saw someone appear behind his assailant and lock him in an armlock, kicking the back of his leg and bringing Maxwell to his knees.
A bloodthirsty desire came over the man, he wasn't going to waste the opportunity and stood up, pulling a revolver from his waist and pointing it at Maxwell half kneeling.
Maxwell's body language was calm, even with a revolver pointed at his head. Even with two strong arms locked around his throat, his lungs begging for some air, his face began to turn red.
"Say your last words, motherfucker!"
"You're pretty good."
[STR: 50>65] [END: 50>65] [DEX: 50>65]
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
Maxwell's head tilts to the side and his waist twists like a snake, preventing his vital points from being hit. The arms around his neck lose their strength, releasing their grip.
Maxwell advances quickly, disarming the soldier and immobilizing him in time to use him as a meat shield against the rest of the Atlas soldiers.
Seeing his Cloak ready again on the HUD, Maxwell dropped the body of the now-dead soldier and disappeared, alarming the other soldiers. Desperation began to take hold of the last soldiers, they didn't know what corporation this monster belonged to, but dodging bullets at point-blank range was ridiculous.
Maxwell took a deep breath, his wide eyes moving quickly between the five remaining soldiers. One of them, hands trembling around his rifle, and it wasn't because of the cold environment, caught his eye, an easy target.
Hearing the sound of snow being trampled underfoot, the soldier lost his posture and began firing around wildly.
Maxwell appeared beside him like a materialized shadow, his kunai sliding across the man's neck. The rifle fell from his hands, the soldier writhing and spasming, his hands pressing down on his throat.
Further ahead a soldier with eyes wide with terror turned around and ran, the snow being kicked up in his desperate escape.
Maxwell's brow furrowed, he couldn't let them call for reinforcements. Maxwell raised his Kraber calmly, holding it in one hand and without using the scope, he pulled the trigger, hitting the fugitive in the back. the body was thrown forward, sliding through the snow, dead before it ever touched the ground.
Meanwhile, the third soldier, more calculating, tried to rally his remaining comrades. He shouted orders, trying to get them to regroup behind a nearby rock, hoping to form a line of defense. Maxwell watched the attempt, his eyes fixed on the movement.
Maxwell pulled a fragmentation grenade from one of his pockets and threw it with precision. The grenade spun in the air and fell between the soldiers, exploding in a shower of shrapnel that tore the man to pieces. The scream of pain was quickly swallowed up by the sound of the explosion.
The last two soldiers, now cornered, decided that there was no alternative but to confront Maxwell directly, the Kraber had implanted a great fear in their hearts.
Armed with knives, they advanced together, their heavy breaths mixing with the biting cold of the air. Maxwell was undeterred and picked up his Data Knife.
They advanced in sync, their footsteps sinking into the snow, the blades glinting in the dim light of the icy environment.
The first soldier attacked, the knife coming from above, fast and precise. Maxwell dodged nimbly, twisting his body to the side, but not quickly enough; the effects of the Stim were wearing off. Fortunately, his shield protected him from the blow.
Maxwell struck back, using the soldier's momentum against him. His free hand grabbed the attacker's wrist, he was about to twist it, but his partner didn't stand still and attacked to sever his hand. Maxwell let go of the wrist and retracted his hand as he felt the air from the blade pass close by.
The first soldier recovered saw the opening and took advantage, diving in with a direct attack on Maxwell's abdomen. diving in with a direct attack on Maxwell's abdomen. His reflexes were quick, but not perfect. The blade penetrated shallowly into the side of his body, but the unsatisfied soldier tried to push deeper, but his enemy's flesh and muscles felt like iron, resisting. Maxwell grunted in pain and reacted by grabbing the soldier, who fell away.
The second soldier, taking advantage of the gap, tried to advance to keep up the pressure. But Maxwell, tired and out of patience, reacted brutally. His fist met the soldier's face in a sequence of rapid blows, each punch harder than the last, until his opponent was stunned, staggering in the snow. Maxwell grabbed the man's face, pushing him hard towards his companion, whose legs were still wobbly from the fall.
The two soldiers collided heavily, their heads meeting in a deafening thud. Without wasting any time, Maxwell pulled the Kraber from his back, adjusted the angle and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger.
*BAANG*
The sound echoed through the icy mountains as the bullet passed through the heads of the two enemies, piercing the ground beneath them. The blood and gray stain splattered on the snow and on Maxwell, who raised his hand to wipe his visor.
Maxwell exhaled slowly, his eyes lowering to the knife stuck in his body. With a grimace, he grabbed the handle of the knife and with a quick, painful pull, he pulled the blade out of his side, the blood spurting briefly before he pressed his hand over the wound.
The battlefield fell silent, except for the muffled sound of his footsteps in the snow. The last vestige of resistance had disappeared into the freezing air, leaving only Maxwell, panting, amid the frozen chaos.
With one last look at the lifeless bodies of the soldiers, Maxwell began to collect what he needed. He retrieved the weapons and ECHOs from the downed enemies, checking the models and ammunition before storing them in his ECHO. Each one of them could be useful later, and Maxwell knew better than anyone that you don't waste equipment on a battlefield.
After collecting everything, his eyes turned to the final objective: Commander Steele's body.
Kneeling beside the body, he ignored the throbbing pain in his side and began to search for the Vault Key. Maxwell then realized that Steele's tattoos had disappeared."Who would be the lucky winner? I hope it's like the game and end up with a little girl in Elpis."
His fingers went through the pockets and compartments of the armor, taking the woman's ECHO he quickly used his Data Knife and accessed the SD inventory. His eyes roamed over the stored items, finally finding what he was looking for, an alien metal artifact, with inscriptions that pulsed faintly with purple light.
It was the Vault Key.
Maxwell looked at it for a moment, absorbing the magnitude of what he was holding. The cold, gleaming metal vibrated with its energy, a sign that the key was charged and could be used at any moment.
Satisfied, he communicated with Spyglass via the communicator.
"How are things out there?"
"Everything under control, sir. Some Atlas soldiers fled the fight with the Guardians but we intercepted them when they tried to enter Crimson Fastness. We had no casualties."
"Excellent. Have the guardians left?"
"Yes sir."
"Then go with the Marvins and turn on the antennas, but don't forget to restart the server and look for any Hyperion hardware installed on the server. I'm heading back to Crimson Fastness."
"Noted, out."
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept through the place, raising a thick curtain of snow that obscured everything for a moment. When the gale died down, Maxwell was no longer there.
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
164 Power
stone 
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