Apocalyptic Returning

Chapter 17: We lose?

"Are you sure you're okay." Barrio asked Arthur in a worried tone while grabbing his hand and examining it. "Shouldn't we be getting you to Rika as quickly as possible." Placing her hand on Arthur's side she felt around his body. She then started rubbing the spot where he was slashed by Jackal.

"I told you I'm gonna be fine." Arthur said after letting out a wince. "Just need a minute to let the suit do its thing."

"He's a big boy Barrio, a little stabbing ain't gonna to kill him." Mitch joked.

After letting out a sigh Barrio responded to Mitch. "I know.

Placing his hand around the sitting Arthurs shoulders, Mitch sat beside Arthur. "How's everybody holding up back home?"

"As well as they can...considering." Arthur answered. "Scout on the other hand...don't know how well he's taking it." He sat tere thinking for a moment, trying to find the best words possible to describe the situation. "Mentally, he's been doing a lot better in the past couple of years."

"Didn't see him after...y'know so I really don't know how he's doing." Arthur waited a moment as Mitch and Barrio digested what he had just said before continuing. "Don't know if you two know yet, but we picked up another member about a month or two ago. Kid named Rook."

"Been a while since we got some new blood." Barrio said. "Last new member was Azrael, and that was about seventy years ago wasn't it."

"How did he get recruited?" Mitch asked.

Thinking back, Arthur let out a slight laugh before answering. "He punched Sebastion in the face. Boss thought it was hilarious, so he invited him on the spot."

"Sounds about right." Mitch smirked. "Pretty sure that was how Foxtrot, Myshka and Ace got in too wasn't it?"

"Boss couldn't help but ask Myshka to join." Barrio snickered. "She kicked your ass and Pyro's at the same time."

"Yea, yea, yea whatever." Mitch brushed her off. "So, what kinda abilities does the new kid have?"

"Don't know yet. He hasn't been an exosuit user for too long, so he hasn't had time to develop any abilities yet. He's a damn good chef though, a decent shot, but most importantly, he picks shit up frighteningly fast. He's smart, that's for damn sure."

"He picked up pretty quickly on how to enhance physical attacks with energy. After that, I taught him how to apply energy to his brain to quicken his senses and heighten the rate at which his brain can process information."

"How long did it take you to figure out how to properly control that technique?" Mitch asked in astonishment. "About a year, give or take a few months. And you're telling me he learned it in just a couple months."

"I know." Arthur sighed. "The kids talented, what can I say."

"I don't like this." Sitzer stated aloud for everybody to hear. "We've already been waiting here for an hour and a half."

"Sitzer may be right boss, I don't think Rez is-" Yumi tried speaking.

"Shut up, both of you." Atroz interrupted while analyzing his surroundings.

The group of four was stuck impatiently waiting in an old run-down school building. A large dark storage room surrounded them with boxes and old equipment. Yumi, sitting down on a stack of two large boxes, whistled nervously to everyone's annoyance. Across from her sitting on a blue bench was Sitzer.

Glancing to his left, Atroz watched as El Verdugo Felix read through a children's book he found on the floor. "She will be here."

"You trust that woman?" Felix questioned. "Even after everything she's done. She's Exocore's traitor and destroyed most of what was left of Renegade after they saved her life."