"Fuck a duck…" I sighed and adjusted the crying and screaming KC.
The flying Thrad hissed loudly and chittered. The thrads in the assessment area below all suddenly looked up at the flying thrad then over at KC and me. Bone-lasher and Jiggles stepped in front of KC and I and roared at the thrads below. That didn't seem to deter them in the slightest though.
[Jiggles, Bone-lasher, we're getting out of here!] I said then channeled volt attribute mana throughout my body and dashed down the hall towards the elevator shaft. Bone-lasher and Jiggles channeled their perspective mana throughout their bodies and raced after KC and me.
The flying let out a hiss and pointed a finger at the lightning streak that was KC and I and the thrads under its control quickly climbed up the wall of the assessment floor and into the main hallway to Chase after us.
<CHASE!> Louie screamed into the mental link.
<A LITTLE BUSY LOUIE!> I screamed back.
As we neared the elevator shaft I immediately saw a major problem. The elevator was stuck in mid-air blocking the shaft to the third level. I skidded to a stop and looked back at the approaching thrads.
"Bone-lasher kill those thrads! Jiggles make a hole to get us out of here!" I ordered.
"Yes Boss!" Bone-lasher replied with glee then spun around and charged at the thrads.
"Good as done Star Shaper!" Jiggles replied then channeled mana into his legs and hands. He was launched into the air with flames propelling him towards the stuck elevator. I looked towards Bone-lasher and the thrads and he was slaughtering effortlessly slashing them apart with his black armor claws.
"CASE! Scarwry!" KC cried and buried his head into my shoulder.
"It's okay! Everything is going to be okay." I said bouncing him lightly.
<CHASE! WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN THERE?!> Louie demanded.
<GIVE ME A SECOND, LOUIE!> I snapped.
A loud explosion sounded behind me followed by a loud crashing sound. I looked behind me and saw the smoldering wreak of the elevator. Looking up I saw Jiggles hovering in mid thanks to the streams of fire spraying from his feet.
"Bone-lasher let's go!" I ordered then motioned up to the elevator shaft. Switching to float attribute mana I jumped up towards the elevator shaft and quickly ascended up the chute. Jiggles followed after me, flying just behind KC and I while Bone-lasher jumped up into the chute. His body was wrapped in electricity that arched onto the metal of the chute as he jumped from wall to wall and ascended behind Jiggles.
<CHASE KINGSTON WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!> Louie demanded.
<WE ARE FLYING UP A ELEVATOR SHAFT UP TO THE THIRD LEVEL!> I snapped.
A loud roar reverberated below us. I looked down and saw the flying ascended looking up at us from the bottom of the elevator shaft.
"Oh come on!" I snapper. Jiggles spun around in the air and kicked off the wall of the shaft down towards the flying thrad intending to punch it as it rapidly ascended towards KC and I but I simply dodged him and kicked him down towards the bottom of the elevator shaft. "JIGGLES!"
[I'm fine Star Shaper! Careful it's fast! I'll try and catch up!] Jiggles replied.
Bone-lasher landed on a wall and spun around towards the flying thrad and leapt at it. With mana enhanced speed he nearly reached the thrad before it performed a deft aerial maneuver, spinning just to the right of Bone-lasher and flapping ots wings gaining on KC and I.
'Why is it targeting us?' I thought as I switched from float attribute mana to blast and volt attribute that I channeled through my legs. Thar twinge I had been feeling whenever I channeled two attributes came back only worse. It felt like a icy cold hand reached into my chest and squeezed my heart.
I ignored the pain as flames engulfed my legs and propelled us up the elevator shaft. The sudden acceleration caught me off guard and I nearly slammed into the shaft wall but managed to kick off the wall and aim at the hole in the shaft that lead to the third level.
As we flew into the third level I stopped channeling blast attribute mana and flipped in mid-air and kicked off the ceiling, heading down away from the elevator shaft. I landed on the floor and skidded to a stop spinning towards the direction of the elevator shaft and drawing the mana-lock.
The flying thrad shot up through the elevator shaft and stopped in the center of the floor and quickly zeroed in on KC and I. I fired the mana-lock as the thrad flapped his wings and dashed towards us. The thrad spun to the left dodging the shot which I wasn't expecting.
'Fuck! It's smart!' I thought as I jumped back and fired again.
"MAMWA! MAMWA!" KC screamed.
Hearing KC's screams the thrad eyes focused on him and spun to the left dodging my second shot. As the thrad closed in I switched tactics and channeled freeze attribute mana into the mana-lock and fired at the ground in front of me. A pillar of ice shot up from the ground and blocked the flying thrad. It skidded to a stop in front of the ice pillar and jumped back.
"BOSS!" Bone-lasher roared as he jumped out of the elevator shaft, his body wrapped in lightning.
"GET AWAY FROM THE STAR SHAPER!" Jiggles roared as he emerged from the shaft behind Bone-lasher his whole body aflame and dashed with incredible speed towards the flying thrad.
Jiggles roared and swung at the thrad but it jumped high above Jiggles and flapped his wings getting airborne but Bone-lasher was waiting for that. Moving so fast all I could see was a streak of lightning as he bounces all over the hallway before dashing straight for the thrad.
'Got him!' I thought happily as Bone-lasher streaked past the thrad and I saw something fly off its body and smack into the wall I thought it was the thrads head but when I saw Bone-lasher come flying into the ice pillar that protected KC and I and smash through it.
"BONE-LASHER!" I screamed and raced over to him.
"It's fast Boss, it got me!" Bone-lasher growled as he tried to stand. As he struggled I saw that the thrad had managed to cut off Bone-lasher's front right leg.
'It was able to react to Bone-lasher at that speed? What the fuck is that thing?!' I thought as I looked back to the thrad.
It was twenty feet away from Bone-lasher and us, flying close to the ceiling and eyeing KC but it's eyes occasionally darted to Bone-lasher and Jiggles on the other side of it. It hissed low in its throat then turned and flew down the hallways towards Jiggles.
Jiggles tried to attack it but the thrad dodged him effortlessly and continued down the hallway passing the freight elevator and down the other hall.
Seeing it disappear in the distance made me relax, if only slightly. I turned my attention back to Bone-lasher. His severed arm was already growing back. When the arm was fully formed the armor that had broken off from the force of the severing started to grow back. Let put a sigh of relief and petted Bone-lasher on his head.
"Thank God that grew back." I said. Jiggles walked over and looked at Bone-lasher's severed arm laying against the wall and then back at Bone-lasher.
"That was no ordinary evo Star Shaper. It was able to injure Bone-lasher with no problem and evade his attacks….it's a worthy foe." He said.
"Worthy prey." Bone-Lasher corrected.
"Yeah and now it's loose on this level with who knows how many thrads there are on this level that it can control…just like an ascended." I sighed.
I looked at KC who was still crying and clinging to me thankfully. I shushed him softly and started to bounce him a little.
<HAWS WHAT THE HELL DID YOU GUYS MAKE!> I roared over the mental link.
<You guys are safe?! Did you get away from the evo?!> Louie demanded.
<Yeah but just barely. It only ran off after getting outnumbered by Bone-lasher and Jiggles and even then the two of them couldn't lay a hand on the thing!> I snapped.
<It's like an ascended thrad but worse since it can fly and is really fast! And to make it even worse it's after KC!>
<WHAT?!> Everyone bellowed in the mental link.
<Why is it after my son?!> Louie demanded.
<How the fuck should I know?!> I snapped back. <it seemed to back off for now since it's outnumbered but that might change once it gets more numbers. We need to get out of here like yesterday!>
<Fuck are you and KC on level three Chase?> Haws asked.
<Yeah?> I replied a little suspicious of his question.
<Level three is for evo production and for the last few months all we've been making are those modified thrads and a few side projects.> Haws said.
<Oh fuck a duck…that flying thrad will have an army soon, won't it?> I asked.
<If it makes it to one of the production floors…yeah.> Haws replied.
<Chase, why does every single plan you make always have shit like this pop up and make everything go to shit?!> Iris groaned.
<The gods love a show, I guess.> I said.
Despite the emotion I had shown in the mental link chat I managed to keep all of that off my face and project a aura of calm and safety. Thankfully KC resonated with this and calmed down enough to stop crying and just sniffle occasionally. I knew I had to get him to his parents but they were on the second level, since Jiggles destroyed the elevator I could get up there but when the flying thrad got enough numbers and tired to track KC down u would just be leading all a horde of evos to defenseless children and scientists. I might not have any love for America or Justice technologies but I wasn't a complete monster.
<Iris, Louie, Sin, I'm changing the plan. The three of you and Angie meet up at the elevator and use Twilight to get out of the facility. I'll be sending Jiggles up with KC so take him and run!> I said.
<What about you?> Iris asked.
<What about me?!> Haws shouted.
<I'm coming to you Haws. I'd rather take this flying thrad put before it has a chance to go after KC and lead a bunch of thrads up to the second level and slaughter all those kids and non-security staff.> I said.
<Ok…I only have one arm so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do Chase.> Haws said.
<Don't worry I have an idea.> I said.
Now that KC was calm I walked over to the elevator shaft woth Bone-lasher and Jiggles following close behind. I looked up the shaft and could see straight up to the second floor, I could make put a few people standing close to the edge lf the shaft up there trying to get a look at the elevator which was now at the bottom of the fourth level.
<I'm making my way to meet up with Sin, Louie and his wife.> Iris said.
<The three of us are almost at the elevator.> Louie said.
<Had to kill a few guards when they saw me Boss.> Sin added.
<Let me know when you get there.> I said then looked to KC..
"Lil' Chaser, I'm going to get you to see you mom and dad but I'll need you to be brave for a little bit." I said to him.
"Bwave?" He asked. I nodded and pointed up to the elevator shaft.
"Your mom and dad are going to be up there soon waiting for you but I'm not going to be able to take you. I'll have Jiggles here take you." I said then pointed to the ogrest. KC's eyes widened and he clung to me tighter.
"Don't weave me! Pweazse!" He cried out.
"I'm not leaving you KC. I'm sending you up to your mom and dad. Don't you want to see them?" I asked. KC paused and nodded reluctantly. "Then I'll need you to be brave for a little bit and go with Jiggles."
KC still looked reluctant and kept glancing between Jiggles and me then reached out a tiny hand to Jiggles. Jiggles looked to me, a little unsure of what he was supposed to do.
[Hold your hand out and let him touch you. He's fragile and scared so don't make sudden movements.] I instructed the large Ogrest.
Jiggles did as he was told and held his hand out to KC. KC touched Jiggles hand tentatively a few times then laughed and reached out with both hands. If it hadn't been for me supporting him with one arm KC would have fell. I moved KC from my arms into Jiggles hand. KC laughed and laid flat in Jiggles hand, the ogrest's hand was so large that KC had enough room to stand up on his hand.
Jiggles looked like he was about to panic. He looked to me for instruction and tried to best not to freak out.
[Calm down, Jiggles. Just bring your hand close to your chest and lightly support his lower body and butt with your other hand.] I instructed the ogrest. Jiggles did as instructed, though because of the size of his hands, he ended up covering both KC's lower and upper body. KC didn't seem to mind and even grabbed onto the top of Jiggles' hand and used it to help prop him up and look down at me.
"JIGGY!" He screeched happily then looked at Bone-lasher. "Poky!"
<Chase we're at the elevator!> Louie reported.
<Okay! Sending up Jiggles and KC!> I replied, then looked to Jiggles.
"Take him up the elevator shaft and hand him off to his parents. After that, make your way back down. We'll have to seal this floor so that the flying bastard can't follow after KC." I instructed.
"Yes, Star Shaper!" Jiggles replied, then channeled burst mana into his legs and propelled himself up the elevator shaft.
Justice Technologies Archive: Experiment 73461S: Skull Keizer. the combination of Tasmanian devil, black rhino, and carrion beetle. A mostly defensive evo, the skull Keizer was ment to serve as a bulwark allies and human combatants. It gets its name for the skull like markings on its face and a its tendency for collecting skulls of fallen evos. Their only for lf offense is its massive forked horn and charging and goring making it easier to deal with at range. This is why it was scrapped.