Jason stared up at the gargantuan airship. He watched at its enormous missile launchers twisted to the side, aiming downwards at the city outskirts. His eyes widened. He tried to pull himself forward but his arms gave way and he flopped back to the roof. James covered his mouth, his eyes going wide.
No!
The airship opened fire. Missiles streaked toward several buildings, slamming hard into them. Chunks of the buildings exploded, chunks of debris being sent flying by violent shockwaves of fire. Clouds of dust engulfed the area as pieces of the damaged buildings rained down on the streets below. The airship's massive gatling guns then opened fire, shredding through some docks. Several ships were carved in half like they were made of Swiss cheese, docks bursting apart around them. Alarms began to echo from the city, as Jason stared at the carnage in horror.
"Oh god..." He muttered, one hand clenching at the roof. "Oh Jesus fucking Christ." He only hoped people have been evacuated from the city but he knew, he knew, that not everyone could have possibly been shipped out of there yet, even with them distracting Jacqueline's forces here on Alcatraz. He knew people were dying right now. Because of her. She'd gotten away by the skin of her teeth and now, she was laying waste to the city.
"Fucking..." Jason growled. He pushed at the ground. He had to get up. He had to. But his stupid body was refusing to move. His legs...his arms...everything burned. James noticed him struggling on the ground and leaned over the side of his cockpit, his hair bobbing in the wind of the jet engines.
"Jason oh my oh dear did you see that its horrible the death toll is going to be massive are you alright you look hurt which is probably plainly obvious but I think the situation is well out of hand that's the airship we were told about its incredible to see in action incredibly horrifying the sheer destructive scale of it is unimaginable!" James said, wildly flailing his arms. "Jason Jason can you get up if not I'll try to uh well not I won't try I will help you I'm perfectly capable of that I swear but we need to hurry can you get up Jason hurry!"
Jason tried to push himself up again, groaning. But again, his body failed him. He cursed angrily, squeezing his eyes together, and yelled internally: Get up! Come on Jason, you've been through worse than this! Get up! Get up you stupid fuck!
But he couldn't rise. And as he tried desperately, he heard a horrible, wrenching grinding noise from above. Jason looked up and his eyes widened. James too inclined his head skyward and say, through bated breath, "My goodness look at that that's incredible or actually I think no no its not incredible its horrifying oh my oh dear..."
Jason watched as the front of the airship seemed to unfold. Humongous slabs of metal unfurled, massive clouds of steam expelling from them. Against the backdrop of smoke and fire from the city below, a huge gun burst out from the airship's depths, extending outward. Jason's eyes practically popped out at the sight of it. It was enormous!At least the size of a fricking building!
"Holy shit..." He gasped, wincing slightly as another painful burning sensation rammed against his injured ribs. James clutched at his lips, squealing in shock.
"Oh my goodness look at the size of that that is oh my goodness Jason did I say that already apologies apologies but this is incredible frightening I goodness oh dear I'm repeating myself I er I estimate that's a coilgun but its incredibly massive the sheer manpower the sheer amount of money to make a gun so large well it just bogels the mind but the sheer destructive force it could unleash oh my oh dear Jason!" James whirled around and gripped the side of the cockpit. "Oh goodness can you get up you've got to rise we need to stop that hideous terrible destructive thing and the airship that wields it can I help you can you rise on your own you look badly hurt oh dear!"
As James spoke, Audrey suddenly flew up from the hole in the roof, carrying Tuatara and Laureen on her arms. She landed on the roof, Hiroshi zooming out a moment later after her. Her eyes went wide and she fluttered over to Jason, ignoring the enormous airship.
"Jason!" She cried, kneeling down next to him. Jason grinned at her, his heart jumping at the sight of her (as usual). He noticed the slash on Audrey's cheek was a nasty wound, covered with both wet and dry blood, exposing strips of muscle beneath her soft skin. Jason slowly reached up and gently pressed his hand to her wound. Audrey winced but didn't pull away. Instead, one of her giant fingers stroked his hand, as she smiled at him.
"Are you alright?" She asked quietly.
"Am I alright?" Jason repeated before laughing. He shook his head. "Jesus Audrey...you're a mess but all you keep thinking of is others..."
"I've...never thought much of myself," Audrey replied, laughing in turn, some tears falling across her face. "My therapist always said it was a bad trait...but really...are you okay, Jason?"
"I'm fine..." Jason said more seriously, keeping his hand pressed to her slashed cheek. "How about you? You were amazing out there...but...are you okay?"
"I'm fine too..." Audrey swallowed before her antennae bobbed. She looked upward, her eyes widening. "My god...what...what is that?"
"A big fucking gun!" Laureen barked, wiping a hand through her hair. She looked at James "Hey professor, gimme a quick tech spec on that thing! Whatever you got!"
"Yes quite it's a coilgun quite a rare sight especially one so large I mean just look that mass I would quote Freud but its probably rude and off topic anyway yes that's a coilgun I estimate its about hundred feet long it must be consuming a huge amount of power just to be fired but if its fired off without a hitch the destructive capabilities are enormous huge stupendous!" James waved his arms frantically to add to his point. "We need to act quick stop it and the airship that's carrying it already its firing off missiles into San Francisco destroying things hurry everyone we need a plan!"
"Weapon like that..." Tuatara pointed a claw up at it. "Must need a gigantic power source. We eliminate that, I bet it can't just be turned on again."
"Sabotage?" Laureen rubbed her chin, as a humming noise began to echo from the massive gun. "That means, well, we'd have to attack that airship directly. Get onto the fucking thing."
"You think we can?" Audrey mumbled, antennae twitching wildly.
Laureen glanced at her. She then looked back up at the airship. The massive ship began to twist downward, its engines roaring, the humming around its huge gun getting louder with each passing second. She shook her head. "I don't we have a choice! That shitty ass noise even I recognize. Its clearly charging up and about to fire on us. Plus, that airship is blowing up the city. Ain't got time for a better plan, guys. Everybody onto the fuckingPanther! Its time to play Star Wars and be the Rebels to that Death Star."
"Yes I do concur most assuredly let's go if I'm correct and if it isn't too humble of a statement I often am ninety-seven percent of the time actually that gun is going to fire and quick!" James jumped back into his cockpit as he babbled. The cockpit hissed closed over him and the sleek jet swooped around, until its backside was pointed at them. The backdoor opened, the boarding ramp extending onto the roof for them. Hiroshi zipped inside. Tuatara let go of Audrey's arm and scuttled after the boy.
Jason angrily again tried to push himself up. As he tried, Audrey gentled gripped his arm and pulled him against herself. Jason swallowed, feeling clammy as he pressed himself against her. Audrey smiled and said, "Its okay. I got you." With a buzz of her wings, she flew into the Panther, carrying Jason and Laureen along. The doors closed behind them and the jet hovered upwards.
Audrey set Laureen and Jason gently down. Jason's legs wobbled unsteadily and he was forced to grab an overhead for support. Audrey pressed her hand against his back, propping him up. Laureen, meanwhile, hobbled across the jet towards the cockpit.
"Laureen!" Jason sputtered. Laureen turned to him. "We need to get the military guys off the island."
"Yeah dude, I know," She grunted back before limping into the cockpit. She steadied herself against James's chair and said, "Yo! We need to get the military guys outta here. Any ideas?"
"Of course of course naturally yes quite," James said, giving her a thumbs up with both of his hands before snatching a dangling microphone from the ceiling. "You see I had the liberty of anticipating this I won't go into specific details but ah I hacked into the radio frequency the military is using now hush hush!" James clicked the radio and spoke into it hurriedly.
"Hello hello this is James Fisher Junior also known as Midnight I'm one of the metahumans on the Agency and I've got some unfortunate news," He said. "Yes most unfortunate so pay close attention that airship above is going to open fire on the island get everyone off and fast we need to leave understand I'll repeat to hammer the point as it were home leave leave leave got that good now do it before we all get blown up!"
Laureen snorted as James lowered his microphone. With one hand, he steered the jet upward and flew away from the island. Jason glanced out the window and leaned closer to it, squinting into the darkness outside. He caught glimpses of helicopters rising off Alcatraz and beginning to fly away. He grinned, wishing he could pump his fist in triumph.
"Hey!" He called, twisting back forward. "James you did it! They're leaving!"
James gave a wild whoop before slamming hard on one lever. The jet's engines roared and it shot off, zooming away from the island. Jason watched as the dark shape of Alcatraz receded below, the small lights of the choppers disembarking from it like a bunch of fireflies.
Then, without warning, the airship's coilgun fired.
The noise it made sounded like a mechanical scream. Its howl echoed across the landscape, an earthshattering boom that echoed across the bay. The ship rattled from the impact of the noise, before the gun's blast struck home and hit Alcatraz.
The effect was instantaneous. The island exploded, consumed by a ball of fire. Chunks of what remained of it went flying, scattering in millions of different directions. A shockwave of force ripped over the water and Jason barely had time to cry out: "INCOMING!" before the shockwave slammed into The Panther.
The ship was violently tossed about. Jason was thrown forward, slamming face first into the floor. Stars danced in his eyes. Hiroshi screamed as he thrown hard into some seats. The jet bucked in midair before the overhead lights went out, plunging the whole cabin into darkness.
Jason gasped. Laureen cried, unseen, "What the hell happened?!" Audrey cried out, a loud thumping noise echoing near her voice. Jason groaned, blindly groping about, trying to get up. His head throbbed something fierce. But as he did, he suddenly felt the jet suddenly begin to fall.
He felt suddenly weightless, as the floor dipped downward. He skidded forwards across The Panther, before slamming into something. He yelped as something metal sandwiched itself between his ribs and pushed himself away from it. Raising his aching head, he saw he was lying against a chair in the cockpit. He was able to see, sort of, thanks to the window. Laureen was lying face first over the controls, groaning. James was hunched over the controls, feverishly pressing buttons and working nozzles. Out through the window, Jason saw, to his utter horror, the dark waters of San Francisco Bay coming up to meet them. The Panther had lost power and was falling out of the air.
"James, do something!" Jason cried in terror, his hands clenching against the chair. James responded by pulling off one of the control's panels and yanked out two wires. Laureen groaned, raising her head. Jason gritted his teeth, as The Planther tumbled out of control, seconds away from crashing into the bay.
James clenched his teeth, sweat peeling off his forehead. He pressed the two wires together. Nothing. Jason squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for impact.
James somehow kept his cool. He pressed the two wires together again. Nothing. Laureen screamed. Jason echoed it. "Fuuuuuck!" He howled, the entire cockpit shaking.
But James slammed his wires together a final time and simultaneously kicked his foot into the console's startup switch. There was a loud hum and the wire's sparked in James's hands. The overhead lights flickered on, the console bursting back to life as well. James yelped, dropping them the wires, but lurched forward, grabbing the wheel. James yanked the jet upward, its engines almost seeming to scream in protest. Jason barely held on, g-forces slamming into him and rippling his lips. He howled, his whole body going limp as The Panther thrusted upwards at the last possible second and skimmed over the bay. Waves lapped its sides, droplets spraying across the cockpit window. The jet roared over the waters, James pulled it back towards the sky.
He spun around in his chair, gripping the wheel tightly as he offered Laureen and Jason a lopsided grin. "Woo hard reboot well not exactly but no time for complex terms now anyway I just saved our bacon not literally of course did you know that of course you did sorry for being rude I really must restrain myself but yes The Panther seems in working order now for the most part what now do we launch a direct assault on the airship?"
Laureen groaned, raising her head off the dashboard. She rubbed at her brow and Jason saw a nasty bloody bruise there. She groaned and looked upward. An explosion boomed, somewhere close. Jason caught a glimpse of a scarlet plume of city from within the city, spraying dust and smoke into the sky. The airship was still firing missiles into the city, killing people, while they had been preoccupied with saving their own asses.
Laureen then gritted her teeth and turned back around. Her eyes flicked out the window before she called to the back. "Yo! How the rest of you doing?"
Jason turned. He saw Audrey had torn a section of an overhead storage compartment loose, doubtlessly accidentally when she was trying to steady herself. Hiroshi was lying at her feet, groaning as he tried to push himself up. Tuatara, meanwhile, had slammed his claws into a nearby seat to secure himself. He yanked them free and staggered to the edge of the cockpit, bracing himself against the wall.
"A frontal assault is suicide!" He hissed, his tongue flicking between his scaly lips, almost nervously. "We'll be shot down in seconds. We're outgunned by leagues. I doubt our small arms fire would even scratch that airship's armor anyway!"
"Oh come on, dude, we're not try and fight that thing!" Laureen said, wheeling around and rubbing her bleeding head. She grimaced as she flicked a droplet of blood aside. "We just need to get onboard, fight our way through whatever forces Jacqueline has left, and kill the two assholes left. Jacqueline and Akihiro." She waved at the air. "Oh...and that Wormhole guy too. Whenever he is."
"Not to mention we have a number of advantages working in our collective favor," James sputtered as he kept the ship low, not zooming upwards yet. "Laureen's Star Wars reference is actually a perfect analogy if you recall the rebel ships had the advantage there because the Death Star's weaponry was too small to hit them forcing the enemy ships to engage them personally resulting in a drawn out battle as opposed to a simple slaughter as you would think would happen in these situations we have a similar advantage The Panther is sleek fast and small not to mention it jams radar frequencies I would calculate that Jacqueline's giant flying warship will have trouble targeting us if we make the move she wouldn't suspect that is flying right towards her airship and getting on board those cannons and missile launchers are designed to target large targets not a plane of our size and speed."
Tuatara exhaled sharply. He squeezed his eye shut then grinned, showing his fangs.
"Ah what the hell?" He leaned back casually. "You're the smart one, James. If you think we got a chance, we got a chance. Fuck it. Let's do this."
James nodded. He looked at Laureen. She gave him a thumbs up. "Alright. Ease us up. As you do, let's alert the military boys what we're up to."
James nodded and began to ease The Panther upward with one hand while he spoke into the microphone with the other. "Hello hello this is James Fisher Junior again yes that's me we're going to launch a direct assault on the airship wrecking havoc on this fair city stop Jacqueline and the Skeleton Crew wish us luck!"
Jason laughed as James dropped the radio. "Well that's a cheery message..." Laureen echoed his laugh, as James pulled the jet upwards. The Panther flew towards the airship above, flashes of missiles continuing to fire from its side cannons.
As they flew upward, several voices crackled over the radio: "Attention Agency jet. We're going to support your attack. Let's fly, boys." With that, Jason heard several roaring engines next to them. His gaze flicked out the window and he saw a glimpse of fighter jets zooming alongside them, the same ones who had flew in to attack the Skeleton Crew helicopters.
"Well how about that..." Laureen laughed, gripping at the console. "We got some help!"
Jason raised an eyebrow then looked at Tuatara. The lizard-boy smirked back at him. "Guess we do. Alright guys...this is it."
Jason nodded. He pushed himself up, wincing as he did, but managing to ignore the pain. He gazed out of the window, looking forward, the roar of the military jets whizzing around them. Before them, the giant airship like a beast. The coilgun began to hum again, doubtlessly charging up for a second blast.
We won't let that happen, Jason thought, narrowing his eyes. Get ready, Jacqueline. This is the end. We're coming for you.