The Saint Maurius Academy had a series of different warnings and alarms for specific emergencies as they occurred. The one that had been triggered now hadn't gone off for years. A little bit of a lower pitch with a high frequency of repetitions. It was distinct and every student knew exactly what it meant: the academy was under attack.
Porter immediately sprung to his feet, shattering the reverie he and Riya had entered together. Riya slowly got up as well and both shared a look of sadness that they wouldn't be catching a break this time. The door to the side of the pair slid open (since it was now a legitimate emergency) and they looked in to see the panic amongst the students. What kind of assault was it? Would they be using Goliaths? Or was it some sort of ground-to-space missile?
The school shook once again and Porter grabbed Riya as she tried to catch her balance. Inside the gymnasium they could see the four chaperons running around trying to organize everybody and reducing panic. Rick, sensing an opportunity to do what he loved, dashed into the change room and, seconds later, leapt back out in full Circuit Breaker uniform, electrified sword in hand.
Shotuku had withdrawn a couple of slippers and was brandishing them on students in order to keep them in line while Miss Sakura had withdrawn a whip (presumably used on Mr. Toriyama normally) and was cracking it above the heads of the young pilots.
Raul and Emera stumbled out through the emergency exit, along with Gretta and Ardwen, who all looked a little shaken up by the sudden interruption. But the members of the Crisis Rescue Unit all had hard-set faces. They weren't novices anymore. They had been into the field of combat. Of course in those situations they had been outfitted with fifty-foot tall behemoths that protected them fairly well. This would be different.
"We will keep the others here." It was Mr. Shotuku who had appeared next in the doorway. "If any of the attackers come here then we will hold them off." He held up his slippers and the students nodded in understanding.
"What's going on though sir?" Riya queried.
"Office says there's been a breach in the wall of the academy and something has been boarded. They guessed we were hit with four different pods, each one big enough to hold a Gremlin." The gathered teens exchanged glances. It was well known what Gremlins were. They were a major concern for all facilities in outer space and everyone had been trained to be prepared for them. "I need all of you to attempt to take them down. Some of the other teachers are already starting to track them down but they'll need your help. It would be particularly useful if some of you could get to the core of the academy and protect our power generator. We're guessing that is the main target."
"What about Nami and Chase?" Ardwen asked.
"I don't know where they are. Maybe they're trapped in the crowd at the dance. If I find them I will send them out. Otherwise I'm leaving Porter in charge of the group." The elder teacher nodded in the designated leader's direction before turning back to re-enter the gym. He stopped in the doorway though and withdrew a katana from his robes. "Rick had an extra Porter; he said to give it to you." The weapon clattered to the floor as Mr. Shotuku left it behind and the door slid closed, leaving the six in the hallway.
Everyone turned to look at Porter, and he passed his hands through his brown hair, brushing it back and trying to wipe the thoughts out as well. Clarity, focus, that was what he needed now. Leadership. Shotuku had picked him even with Ardwen right there. It was time to act then. Time to save the school.
Porter bent down and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the sword, slowly lifting it and feeling its weight. "Right, then let's move out," the new commander stated with a grim tone. "We don't have a lot of time to work with. Raul what kind of weapons do you have on you?"
"Uhm..." The older youth patted down his suit and withdrew a couple shurikens that clattered to the floor, followed by a small dagger and then a pair of nunchucks. He then pulled out a pair of brass knuckles and also dropped them on the ground. I'm afraid that's all I'm carrying," he said with a shrug. The rest of the group looked down in stunned silence, all except for Emera, who snuggled in close to her ninja dance partner.
"I like a man who packs a little heat," she whispered as her fingers drifted across his waistline.
"Not the time you two," Porter cut in. "Raul, you and Emera and going to have to search for Nami and Chase then, and try to take down any Gremlins you come across. You're the best armed of any of us." Raul nodded and gathered up his weapons, towing Emera behind him as they took off down the hallway.
"Gretta, Ardwen," Porter continued as he turned to face the two addressed. "I need you two to head down to the power console and begin working to get its security systems online, if any teachers haven't beaten you to it by then. On the way, see if you can get any weapons from the hangar or any Goliaths online. Maybe we can lure a Gremlin in there."
"What's a Gremlin?" Gretta looked between the different faces as she posed the question. Having been raised on a farm on Easley she had never been warned of these mystery attackers.
"Gremlins," Ardwen explained, "are unpiloted, remote-controlled, robotic Goliaths, only miniatures." Ardwen made a gesture with his hands, bringing them close together to replicate the size of the Gremlins. "They're usually used for boarding and attacking places orbiting Earth since they're cheap and easy to launch compared to launching people. Sometimes they get deployed in combat on Earth to attack facilities and the like, usually where people don't have the weapons to fight back and-"
"Ardwen we don't need the textbook version, she gets the idea." Porter rolled his eyes and ended Ardwen's speech. "The basic rule is that if you run into one, run the other way. I don't know if I will be useful against them with a katana since they're bigger than I am but sometimes you get lucky. That's why I need you two to go see if you can get some weapons from the hangar and then move to the power core."
"What about you two?"
"We're going to go around and hunt and I'll..." Porter gripped the sword tightly and looked down at his reflection in its metal, at the cold eyes that stared back. "I will try to destroy any Gremlins I come across."
"Be careful Porter." Ardwen placed a hand on his comrade's shoulder before taking off with Gretta. Porter turned to Riya and the two wordlessly went off down the corridor, turning to look for the new enemies...
* * * * *
Nami and Chase had felt the shaking as they were sitting in each other's arms. As soon as the first vibrations had passed through his body, Chase had jumped up and spun around, his reflexes shooting off and trying to pick a fight with whoever had disturbed him. Then the warning siren began.
There had been no pause, no waiting to stop and figure out what was going on. Chase had just grabbed Nami by the arm, recognizing that the academy was under attack, and had taken off at a sprint with the little girl bouncing along behind him, trying to keep up.
They had begun weaving through halls at a blistering pace, sometimes messing up and doubling back as Chase muttered to himself and seemed to get increasingly frustrated with every second that the process took. "What's going on Chase? Why are we running?" Nami kept trying to get her feet under herself so she too could run but it was no use and she constantly tripped up.
"Don't you hear that?" Chase pointed at one of the speakers that was blaring the siren over and over. "We're under attack Nami!"
"Yes I know Chase but why are we running? Why can't you just stop and let me catch up and tell me where we are going?"
"No time! I have to..." Chase panted and came to a skidding stop at a crossroads in the hall.
"Have to what? Run a marathon whenever we come get assaulted?" Nami put her hands on her hips, obviously angered by being dragged around.
"I have to protect you..." Chase grabbed Nami's wrist again before she could comment on how sweet that was and away they went. "There's a supply closet I found once. It looks pretty unassuming and it can lock so you can hide in there."
"Me?! What about you?"
"I'm going to kill every single one of these damn Artisans who have come into our home," Chase said with a deadly conviction that chilled Nami. She held back her argument as she looked up at Chase. He was more focused and determined than any other time she had ever seen him. But then again, this would all be a trigger for him, a nightmare of going back to that time he had lost everything. HE wouldn't let it repeat.
The pair rounded the corner and finally slowed down and Nami took it as a chance to catch her breath. Chase's head kept going a mile a minute, searching around in alarm until his eyes settled on his sought-after prize. "Right there!" He motioned at a non-descript grey door with the word "Storage" on the front.
As they took the first step to the door in the middle of the hall, something else stepped out at the opposite end of the corridor. Something big. Something metal...
* * * * *
Shotuku and Rick stood side by side, with Miss Sakura running around the gym whipping the students into line. The main doorway was rumbling as something approached and both the master teacher and the Circuit Breaker knew what was coming.
The two metal doors began to slide open but before they even got midway the Gremlin had walked right through them, tearing into a little bit of the steel wall above as well as the nearly eight-foot tall robot warrior stepped into the gym. It was very similar to a Goliath as Ardwen had explained, which made it humanoid in shape, complete with its rounded head unit that scanned around the room, picking out targets.
Thankfully, it was extremely rare for Gremlins to be armed with anything other than their fists and this one looked to be no exception. It stepped onto the dance floor and the many pilots, still dressed in their formal wear, all backed away and pressed against the walls. Shotuku and Rick, however, stepped forward, ready to challenge the monster and defend their student body.
The Circuit Breaker had withdrawn his electrified sword, which was possibly the best weapon he could use against such a foe. Unfortunately his chameleon suit would be useless: Gremlins could use infrared scanners to detect a person's presence.
The bearded man beside Rick held up a fan of black slippers in each hand, ready to fire the deadly projectiles with the impossible might his frail body possessed. It was a shame the CRU would not be around to bear witness to the fighting prowess he had, so as to better increase their respect for him (and instil a little more fear in their hearts) but you couldn't have it perfect every time.
Upon seeing the two challengers the Gremlin raised up its own two fists. Whoever was controlling it recognized that their adversaries had arrived. If they got past the old man and the Circuit Breaker it was all clear from there on out.
If they got past them...
A/N: The academy is under attack? Without their Goliaths can the CRU fight against such overpowered opponents or is it time for Saint Maurius to finally fall?!