บท 25: Chapter 25: Jamming Signal (2)
"Alexander," Athena's voice crackled through, "we've located the Red Belly hideout. Awaiting your orders."
He pressed the respond button, his voice measured. "Hold position. I'm en route."
Alexander turned to Cosmo Wishbone, who was hunched over a makeshift workbench, various satellite components scattered around him. The inventor's eyes darted between pieces, his fingers twitching with barely contained excitement.
"Wishbone," Alexander said, his tone leaving no room for the man's usual theatrics, "maintain your position and continue preparations. Once the jamming signal is neutralized, expect reinforcements to assist with the satellite launch."
Cosmo's head snapped up, a manic grin spreading across his face. "Oh, yes! Of course, of course! Cosmo shall craft a masterpiece of orbital magnificence! A symphony of circuits and—"
Alexander's raised hand silenced him instantly. "Focus on the task, Wishbone. Results, not rhetoric."
Cosmo's smile faltered for a moment before he nodded, turning back to his work with renewed concentration.
As Alexander made his way towards Crisis Scar, Claptrap rolled alongside him, the robot's single eye swivelling to take in their surroundings.
"So, boss," Claptrap chirped, "what's our super-secret, ultra-important mission this time? Ooh, let me guess! We're going to... infiltrate an enemy base, hack their mainframe, and make all their guns shoot confetti instead of bullets!"
Alexander's stride didn't falter as he responded, his voice devoid of amusement. "Our objective is to disable the jamming signal and eliminate the Red Belly gang. Nothing more, nothing less."
Claptrap's enthusiastic demeanour deflated slightly. "Oh. Well, that sounds... practical, I guess. But maybe we could add just a little confetti? For morale?"
Alexander didn't respond, his focus fixed on the path ahead.
As they approached the entrance to Crisis Scar, Alexander spotted Athena and Timothy. Athena stood at attention, her shield at the ready, while Timothy paced nervously, his eyes darting between the sealed door and their approaching leader.
"Report," Alexander commanded as they drew near.
Athena straightened, her voice crisp and professional. "The hideout is sealed tight. No visible alternative entrances. We've detected movement inside, but no clear count on hostiles. It also appears to be guarded by a lonesome claptrap unit..."
Timothy chimed in, his attempt at confidence betrayed by the slight tremor in his voice. "Yeah, and uh, I did some recon. You know, stealthy-like. Didn't see any weak points in the structure, but maybe we could, I don't know, knock and pretend to be pizza delivery?"
"Uh, hello stranger! It's been a long time since I met new friends. If you want to be a member of our amazing gang the Red Bellies, then you're going to need to kill a few of our enemies the Darksiders! Just grab, some of their crystals that they like to flaunt and I'll open the door for you!" The Claptrap unit exasperated returning back to the broken dashboard.
Alexander looking at the Claptrap unit turned to face Fragtrap or more importantly his claptrap.
"Unfortunately or fortunately his ignorance is what has kept his sanity. It's best we let him be." Alexander informed, the claptraps fate a tragic tale of it's kind. Build to help but unfortunately created flawed unable to truly serve it's purpose – a wasted product.
Fragtrap staring at the robots almost cheerful tone felt regretful hoping to bring to light the truth but unable to do so in fear of what it brought. In it's place he found himself reflecting an inner turmoil brought forth.
"That would've been me wouldn't it." Fragtrap spoke, his artificial mind brewing an inner hatred of itself, a fragment of it's consciousness whispering deep within.
"Say, Alexander, does he know his dashboard is broken?" He asked whispering, a slight pity welling inside his stomach.
"What do you believe we should do?" Alexander inquired the robot, Timothy and Athena taken aback by his words.
"I think we should open the door." Fragtrap voiced, an almost clarity brought from his mind. He knew what had to be done and regardless of what he felt, he'd rather know the truth then live a blind lie.
"Are you sure? Should we open this door, they will immediately shoot upon us and on the claptrap unit. Your kind may die due to the crossfire. They've most likely forgotten the robot's existence." Alexander explained.
"I'm sure." Fragtrap spoke determined.
With Claptraps words spoken Alexander's gaze swept over the sealed entrance. Without a word, he stepped forward, his fist beginning to glow with absorbed energy.
"Wait what are you…" Timothy's eyes widened.
With a single, powerful strike, Alexander's fist connected with the door. The metal screeched and buckled, tearing open like paper. As the dust settled, a jagged hole gaped before them, easily large enough to pass through.
"Wow… Uh, just… Wow." Jack murmured, the voices of enemies soon following after:
"What the hell?! Who opened the bloody door!?"
"Bloody Gronk's at the main entrance! Trespassers!!"
Alexander turned to his team, his voice calm but authoritative. "Athena, take point. Timothy, provide covering fire. Claptrap, stay behind me and try not to get shot."
With the gunfire hot in the air, the Claptrap unit guarding the entrance was unfortunately shot. Fragtrap taking a moment of silence before putting his hand over the fallen member's body.
Looking at the dead robot's body a rage welled within him an anger stemmed from his mistreatment. The unnecessary hate and destruction of his kind be subjugated for numeorues years.
"Die you freakin' assholes!" Clatrap voiced erupting his own mini chaos on the field.
"Who knew a tincan could feel so much…" Timothy voiced.
"I wouldn't have thought so too…" Athena affirmed.
As they entered the compound, carnage erupted. Gunfire filled the air, the sharp crack of bullets ricocheting off walls and Athena's shield. Timothy ducked behind a crate, popping up to fire off shots with surprising accuracy.
"What in the bloody Dingo is that?" Red voiced exclaimed through the intercom, his cameras slowly revealing the sight of Alexander and his crew. His mind shocked at the prowess showcased.
"I think it's intruders Red." Belly explained, his voice slowly dropped to a halt, "Holy Mackerel on a stick Red, do you see what I'm seeing?"
Through their images, Alexander moved at an agile pace. While not sprinting, his every step was a force that moved lives. With a fray of deadly precision, every movement was calculated and efficient. Explosive projectiles were either dodged or shot before projected, bullets were merely ignored and soon Bandits of all kinds fell before him – their attacks seemingly ineffective to both his Armor and enhanced physiology.
"Push forward," Alexander commanded, his voice cutting through the din of battle. "We need to reach the control room."
They fought their way deeper into the compound, the resistance growing fiercer with each step. Timothy, despite his initial nervousness, was holding his own, his shots finding their marks with increasing confidence.
Likewise Claptrap continued to enthral his enemies with a lethal silence uncharacteristically of his kind – to the others it created a dome of fear. The usually chatty claptrap now a steel blade that cleaved lives with almost deadly silence.
"Hey, I'm actually doing it!" Timothy exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face as he took down another bandit. "I mean, uh, of course I am. I'm goddamn Jack, baby!"
Athena rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of approval in her voice. "Less talking, more shooting, 'Jack'."
As they neared the control room, a particularly large bandit charged at them, brandishing a massive shotgun. Before anyone else could react, Alexander stepped forward. In one fluid motion, he disarmed the bandit, turned the shotgun around, and fired. The bandit crumpled to the ground.
Looking at his shields collapsing Alexander looked over the bandits body with a gaze of superiority. His left leg used to stomp on the mans head immediately crushing it. Wiping his foot against the fallen enemy their clothes was used to clean the gunk off.
Still holding the enemies empty shotgun he tossed it aside, his expression unchanged. "Remain focused. We're close to our objective."
Finally, they reached Red and Belly's control room. The gang leaders standing before them, a comically oversized gun in each of their hands.
Red being a smaller male, stood around 3' 3'' with a slightly muscular but large head. Belly standing at 6' 3'' was also muscular but more bellied. Red sat atop Reds shoulders creating a unique combat of style.
Red Belly
"Stand and Deliver (Your life)"
"Well, well, well," Red and Belly drawled in unison.
"if it ain't the party crashers themselves." Belly commented.
"You know, it's rude to show up uninvited! But screw it, let's boogie!" Red continued.
"We won't be dancing. You're on my turf." Alexander voiced; his Halberd raised.
Confused Red could only utter shocked, "Huh?"
"Since when?" Belly festered.
"Since now."
Alexander rushing Red immediately shoulder tackled both Red and Belly, Bellies body pushed away leaving Red up for grabs.
Holding Red by the head Alexander immediately smashed him on the ground, his body recoiling from the brute force. With his shield cracked Alexander continued to hammer his body to the ground with rage, bone, metal and flesh mixing into almost disgusting gunk.
"NOOOOO! RED!" Belly bellowed with sadness his attempts and getting close to Alexander thwarted by both Athena and Timothy who looked on at Alexander with newfound fear.
The immense brutality and continued acts of violence foreign to his mind.
Alexander still holding Reds mutilated carcass rushed Belly and slammed the corpse on Belly face dying his face red. Horrified, Belly continued to look shocked the next act by Alexander a quick slice of stomach revealing his guts.
"Why?" Belly cried out, his hands attempting to hold his internal organs inside blood quickly rushing out.
"Why not?" Alexander inquired soon stabbing the mans head in with his Halberd leaving it in.
Athena already numb to her employers brutal methods remained silent with Claptrap finding the actions justified due to the other claptrap units death.
Timothy on the other hand grew slightly disgusted and fearful on how such a man whose mind was scholarly could so such heinous acts with mere ease. It showcased two sides of a coin.
One that was scholarly and efficient the other brutal and bloodthirsty – both sides unforgiving.
Claptrap broke the tension with an enthusiastic cheer. "We did it! We're heroes! Well, mostly me, but you all helped too!"
Timothy holstered his weapon, a mix of exhilaration and disbelief on his face. Regardless of how today went, he still couldn't believe they had done it – that he had managed to survive the entire ordeal.
Hopefully his mother would be proud.
"I... I can't believe we actually pulled that off."
Alexander turned to Athena. "Disable the jamming signal. We need to reestablish communications."
Making their way towards the main control frame of the tower, they found themselves with the entire ports sabotaged.
"We'll need to destroy the communicates from the top. Preferably without destroying the site." Alexander voiced, turning to Athena.
"I'm guessing we'll be conquering this base?" She inquired, knowing how the man loved to repurpose pre-existing facilities.
"Your deductions are correct. What was once their weapon is now our own." Alexander explained making his way up and finding Lost legionnaires attempting to take him down.
"Weak…" Alexnader muttered, his halberd easily slicing those that braved enough and his gun shooting choppers that came in distance.
Shutting the signal jammer down a Jack's exclamations escaped through.
"BOOYAH! Hey Kiddo's about time you got that signal down. Was wondering when you guys were going to get it down. We got lights up in Helios! We got security, we got fast travel-."
Suddenly interrupted a voice suddenly creeped through, it's tone familiar.
"Red? Belly? What in the flaimin' heck's going on over there?! The override signal just went down!" The Meriff huffed.
"Who the hell is that?" Jack questioned, now agitated at being interrupted. The Meriffs intermission being relayed to those around the area.
"Sounds like the Meriff." Athena commented.
Misinterpreting the crew for Red and Belly the Meriff slowly realised his mistake, "Wait a minute, you aren't Red OR Belly… Aww, flip!"
"The Meriff's been working for Zarpedon this entire time? Gghhrraah! I'll meet you in Concordia. We need to have a talk with this guy." Jack commented.
"We don't torture people for free Jack." Alexander explained.
"Calm down, we're not gonna hurt him till we find out what the deal is."
Suddenly ending the call, he quickly responded back.
"Okay little change of plans. Remember that Zarpedon chick? You know the one that attacked the freakin' space stations. Yeah, she's managed to get her hands on something big. Like, really big. End-of-Elpis big."
Alexander's eyes narrowed slightly, the only visible sign of his concern. "Elaborate, Jack. What exactly has she accessed?"
Before he could answer a large boom was heard throughout the entire planet, Alexander turning his eyes to the Helios space station. A large laser beam now forcing its way through the moons crust. With unadulterated power Alexander mind wondered forth on creating something similar.
With the entire planet thundering, the entire facility quaked with unnatural force. Intermissions running amuck throughout the entire moon, even Bandits now accessing the jammed signals voicing their concerns.
Jack's voice lowered, as if afraid of being overheard. "It's... well, it's called the Eye of Helios. Top-secret Hyperion tech at the core of the station. Let's just say it makes your average moonshot look like a kid's pop gun. She is targeting the moons core. Try not to panic, but uh. She's trying to blow up the moon."
"And Zarpedon has control of this weapon?" Alexander pressed, his mind already calculating potential strategies.
"For now, yeah," Jack admitted. "Look we're going to make our way to Elpis. With the jamming signal down, we've now got fast travel back up and operational. Like I said before meet me at Concordia, I've got a plan."
Agreeing with a hum Alexander turned to Athena.
"You alongside the other three return to Concordia to confront the Sheriff. I have unfinished business here in Crisis Scar."
Watching their figures depart Alexanders gaze swept back to Pandora the jamming signal now allowing for his systems to be operational.
Alexander activated his ECHO device, establishing a secure connection to Pandora. After a moment, a cheerful voice crackled through.
"Y'ello! Isaac Sato, Pandora's most handsome and deadly mercenary, at your service. What can I do for you, oh fearless leader?"
Alexander's tone remained cold and businesslike. "Sato, I need you to mobilize a battalion immediately. Fast travel to Elpis is now operational. Your primary objective is to assist Cosmo Wishbone with satellite creation and deployment. I do not require your physical presence on Elpis. The current situation is volatile, matian diligence of our borders along"
"Ooh, space stuff! Exciting!" Isaac's enthusiasm was palpable. "Any chance I can volunteer for a spacewalk? I've always wanted to see if I could regenerate in a vacuum."
The mans alteration allowing for enhanced regenerative abilities, superhuman psychology. While not to the degree as myself, he was capable of punching through solid steel and concrete structures.
In direct combat, no human would best him. The generals also accumulated similar strength and abilities. Xion gained similar physiology but instead of enhanced regeneration he gained higher strength and limited energy manipulation.
More so, light manipulation. While he has yet to see it himself, I found that during training his skin appears to absorb light and enhance his strength similar to a battery.
Jermiah Iga being one of the more elusive generals dealing with paperwork and sorts gained the enhanced endurance his skin hardening under pressure. Other altered soldiers merely gained enhanced physiology which improved them to peak human ability.
The Generals were more so a test-subject but also a required one as they proved most loyal. While their loyalty wasn't as forced, a fragment of my control remained. Regardless of how far they strayed, my word would be law.
"Focus, Sato," Alexander commanded. "This is a critical operation. The satellites will provide us with a strategic advantage over both Hyperion and the remaining Elpis factions."
"Right, right. All business, no pleasure. Got it, boss," Isaac replied, his tone becoming slightly more serious. "Any specific requirements for the battalion?"
Alexander considered for a moment. "Include a mix of combat-ready troops and technical specialists. We need to be prepared for potential Hyperion interference while also having the expertise to assist with the satellite launch."
"Consider it done!" Isaac affirmed. "Oh, and boss? Any word on when we might get to, you know, 'upgrade' more of the troops? This whole superhuman thing is pretty sweet, and I know a lot of the guys are itching for a power boost."
Alexander's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's not a priority at the moment, Sato. We don't have the time or resources for extensive modifications right now. Focus on the task at hand."
"Aye aye, captain! One battalion of Iron Legion's finest, coming right up. We'll have those satellites up faster than you can say 'Hyperion sucks'... which, by the way, they totally do."
Sato being in charge of furthering expeditions often delt with Hyperion's men firsthand, his experiences often negative.
"Just get it done, Sato," Alexander said, ending the transmission.
Alexander's mind raced with possibilities. The satellite network would indeed provide a significant advantage, not just for communications but for potential weapons platforms as well. And while he had dismissed Sato's inquiry about further troop modifications, he knew it was an avenue he would need to explore further when resources allowed.
For now, though, Concordia awaited. The Meriffs betrayal and Jacks response would be a sight to see. Would the so called hero buckle under his tendencies? Or would he remain firm in his beliefs. Time would tell, but actions would serve to decide.
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