Back on the lockdown city, more troops had arrived and placed more weapons that began to scare the civilians. Some where aboit to riot until some soldiers had appeared in order to stay vigilant
Nobody tried anything against that.
Now held up in the city's own military base, hundreds of people were huddled up like animals inside a massive pen
Many civilians wanted to speaks to someone, with anyone but their military overseers where ignoring them and simply shove or push them back
Naturally the ones holding leadership positions, like the mayor who was shoved into the pack.
"Are you gonna tell me why there are tanks passing by in such a peaceful city like ours-?!" Said man asked right in the face of a Lieutenant
The officer looked down and gestured his hand to make him step back "Please sir... For the last time. I want you to calm down and wait till a coronel or the man in charge comes to single you out of here" he adjusted his beret and looked at a couple civilians behind him
A brawl was about to be ensued as some had their stress right over their heads
"Hey! You over there! Stop fighting or I'm getting over there-!" The Lieutenant warned as he pushed the people aside. Soldiers on the top deck looked to the conflict in the near front of the crowd as two guys were fighting. Before the officer could get to them however a shot was fired, a bullet pierced one of the guys out of the blue
"WAAAAAGGGH-!" He skirmed in the floor as the other fell in his butt, fear present in his face as the crowd looked to where the echo emanated.
Right at the top, a old but official man held an assault rifle that he took from a man currently beside him in position of attention. The muzzle smoked as he sighed at the situation
"People-" he massaged his face "I need order around here. As of this moment I have you in my custody, which means all your rights are void for the moment" he gave the rifle back to the soldier, going closer to the metal railway of the upper deck "So refrain from moving too much or causing any more noise... Or do something stupid in my book... Well I can't assure your safety then." He tapped the hand rail, leaving back to the quarters as a plan was slowly forming
The civilians on the other hand... Were terrified of the circumstances that would happen if they disobeyed. A great silence spread as the people now made themselves comfortable on the cold ground
The soldiers on the top deck resumed their duty and walked around still patrolled them
Craven set foot to the headquarters of the base and looked at the working men and women looking up security cameras all around the city.
"No sign of targets"
"Hmm. Then keep me posted" he sighed as he went beside his secretary
"So Craven Sir, all troops have been assembled as you asked and are awaiting further instructions at your command" she looked down to her ipad, noting that everything was still in lockdown and nothing was in sight
"Good. All there is to do is wait..." He motioned her to follow him as he turned to his quarters, just waiting for those two to come any moment now
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Outside the now crudely fortified, The post held two soldiers as they watched the nearby forest exterior of the lockdown city through binoculars
Another paced around the post, marching side to side for extra lookout
Looking at the forest, they were wary of what was briefed to them so shortly in a cramped meeting but believed everything the commander of the operation had divulged to them
Two creatures were out there with the potential to kill them and anything that stood in their way. The three guards at this entrance knew that in spades. The one patrolling was especially afraid
One of them could eat a human whole without even biting an individual. He shivered just thinking about it
*whistle*
"Huh?" The patroller hummed, going near the area he thought the sound came from.
As he headed to the shadowed area, the other two posted at the post entrance who were not directly looking at the fading soldier.
"You think those monsters are going to come this direction?" One asked the other as he took a cigarette and lit it
The other man lowered his rifle and hanged it by the sling on his left shoulder, turning away from the entrancr they were supposed to guard "... To be honest..."
The patroller got near some bushes and began to examine the forest to look for signs. He scouted the bushes by shoving the muzzle of his m4 assault rifle, stocking for anything
Before he could move through the bushes, suddenly a gnarly hand with claws grabbed the gun that tore it in smitherens. Another shot off and shut the mouth of the soldier, shutting his fast scream and slowly crushing his face like a rotting pumpkin. In a matter of seconds he was pulled to the bushes and absorbed into Alex
His body morphed and became the body of the patroller. Coming out of the bushes he walked normally like nothing happened
"...nah" the soldier finished as he looked to the patroller heading his way.
He stood in front of the post, saying nothing.
"Well... What's wrong corporal?" The safely assured soldier asked his comrade. Even when questioned he said nothing as he looked past the soldiers in front of him.
"Spill it then" the other asked, weirded out by the strange silence.
The soldier still remained unresponsive but unbeknownst to them, tendrils swirled upon his back as finally he looked directly at them and his eyes shined in reddish glint
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A moment later, Alex reverted to his normal self and came back to the bushes as he had brought with him a unused uniform she could put on to follow his lead.
She glared at him "Soldier clothes?" She asked, no sure what he was planning
"We are going in with stealth. I prefer to avoid any and all possible danger up ahead" Alex voiced his concern, pushing the uniform on her but she grabbed it with her vectors and tore it apart
"Hey! That was a perfe- MHMMM-?!" Alex felt his mouth shut itself up and sweated a bit looking a mad Lucy
"Don't you ever-" she gestured at the soldier attire "-get me anything soldier related. I hate them. Hate them even more than humans themselves. I don't need to dress in order to get in there. I'll follow at a distance"
Alex curled his eyebrows in dissolutionment "So you expect me to believe we will go in there and you will not get yourself caught, raise an alarm, and get ourselves trapped in some skeme-?" He asked now looking to his back at the entire entrance that had been barbed wired to hell
'They really show off in defense don't they?' He thought about what the hell some of their new leaders thought of him to put such an enormous amount in budget in order to kill him. He was touched in some way
"So please Lucy, put this things on and let's end to our persuers-" he turned back only to see he was alone.
"Um... Lucy-?" He asked looking around
"Up here" she told him.
Alex heard her and looked up to see Lucy over the ledge of one of the tall buildings, inside the perimeter already
"WHAT-! HOW DID YOU-"
Before he could finish, Lucy tore a red brick from the building and threw it at Alex's loud mouth, hitting him in the side of the head
"SSSSHHHHSSS-!"
"Ow" he massaged his head injury as it healed "Let's do it your way then" he murmured as he leaped over the entrance and ran up the building to meet with Lucy
Running vertically let him notice that a lot of soldiers where roaming around further in the city rather than the entrances, there was a few sniper and machine gun nests, and it seemed no close communication was kept
Something was off
He grabbed the top ledge and swinged himself the least forceful as he could to not cause a loud stomp as he landed on the roof.
Lucy was crouched to not be seen on sight. Alex switched to his soldier camouflage and got close to her.
"Noticed something too Ale- oh take that off you idiot-!" She side glanced him and slapped him so hard he detransformed into his regular form
"Sssss is it really neccessary to hit me that hard? We need stealth dammit" he complained about Lucy's current mood
Did their talk instigate something he was blind too? Dammit. He was bad at words for real.
"Look over there and stop arguing." She told him, pointing at a possible entrance
Alex peeked over the ledge, looking over with his viral vision. Taking note of the few numbers of actual soldiers, he was able to see many openings in which someone like him could take down this base in a matter of minutes.
There seriously was something wrong here.
"This guys should know how I attack and what my strategies are... Then why are they that wide open? This doesn't feel right..." He punched his jaw softly, trying to come up with an explanation of what could be happening.
He focused on something else, seeing what Lucy was first talking about. There was a straight clear path among the buildings to go further into the ones in charge. As if by miracle there was also in the same path a trail of cords and connections that wpuld surely lead to the power source.
"Don't you think things are too favorable for us Alex?" Lucy asked as she peeked beside Alex. The prototype only nodded as he was thinking about what could they have to be this sloppy? Whatever it was, they were confident enough to let themselves wide open
"Do we split then-?" She asked only to be lowered fully behind the roof balcony
"Look Lucy- we don't have to do this you know?" He told her.
Lucy lowered her eyebrows at that.
"These guys are hunting us but there's nothing I can't fight. But in a place were they plan to exterminate us, it gets really dangerous. We could just-"
Lucy grabbed his head and shook it violently. Alex dizzly looked at her as she was again clearly mad "I keep telling you this..." She clenched his cheeks tighter "What are you afraid of-?! If you are that strong then do you not trust me!?" She let go of his face and looked at him seriously
Alex rubbed his cheek, looking at the serious red-pink irises of Lucy. He never thought about that. He always looked at the scenario of going into a base in his capabilities.
Ever since he rescued her, he put everything on himself. God. He wondered if that ignorance made Lucy feel...
He remembered the way she was held in that horrible place that was her hell. He shuddered that memory and looked at her with a sense of guilt
He held her hand swiftly and softly, surprising Lucy as she jumped a bit at his touch. Alex closed his eyes and murmured his apology "It's not that I don't trust you. Its more like I don't trust myself... That's why I was alone all this time after being infected with... This. I can't trust in my own power to save anyone else but myself... Like a parasite I can only save myself. I feel weak." He told Lucy as he let go of his hidden insecurity
She was shocked hearing this leave his mouth "What-?! Then-!... You feel weak?" She said, not believing his confession. So all this time he was shaken that he would fail anytime from now? "But you're so strong! How can you think you-!?"
"But I have okay? I failed alot of people... I suck at trying to be something I can't be. I tried so many times... But I end up losing in the end." He lowered his gaze further
Brushing her hair with a sway of her head, Her held hand tighten around his as she guessed that truth from his attitude towards her. He was always so concentrated on himself, it made him doubt all the things he could do. No wonder... He couldn't trust her or anyone
"I know its hard. Maybe even impossible for you to trust yourself so... Can- can I ask you to do something for me?" She asked more tenderly, making his eyes meet hers
"...what?" He asked still unsure of himself
"Trust me" she simply said before smiling, a thing that was slowly becoming a part of her character. He liked that. His energies were restored and he raised his shoulders as new confidence was born from him
She lowered their hands and quickly leaned in for a kiss. A short kiss surprised Mercer but he accepted it even if he could not fully enjoy it.
She softly pushed him as he looked to his eyes "We have to beat them now before they figure out a way to kill us both. So trust me like I trust you. And always remember something idiot." She turned her gaze, feeling a rush of heat trying to make her blush
Alex smiled remembering her words "Let me guess... I am your hero-?" He smug smiled at her, receiving a vector slap
Lucy held a giggle "Yeah." She almost whispered it due to embarrassment
Alex looked over the ledge once again, Lucy doing the same as she felt more ensured to win.
"Then let's kick some government ass!"