As they approach the city, anti-aircraft weapons fired relentlessly from the windows of the Apex building. A rocket streamed through the air and exploded on a nearby helicopter.
"WOOHOO...” Hunter exclaimed, jumping on a gun turret. “That bad boy lit up! Lock on to something, McCall.”
"That's military-grade equipment," Ethan uttered. "Who's backing them?"
Ethan locked on to a target. It was a young kid with a white mask on his face. The young boy had a rocket launcher aimed right back at Ethan.
"Shoot!" Hunter commanded.
Ethan zoomed in on the kid. The young boy had an upside down cross on his forehead. Ethan recognized the mark. It was the insignia of Chaos, a militant terrorist group operating in Central District.
"Wanna get your rocks off some other time, McCall! C’mon fire!”
Fire, Ethan thought. All I have to do is fire. Like the way you killed my mother. You burned her alive by setting her house on fire. You're the reason I’m here... the reason I joined. I should kill you. But you... You... you’re just a child.
Ethan reflected on the boys he saw back in the cave. As he continued to evaluate the kid in front of him, he realized the boy was barely able to lift the rocket launcher upright. Ethan slowly gripped the trigger on the turret and fired.
The boy dropped to the ground as a barrage of bullets sprayed around him. Realizing he was unscathed, the boy picked himself up and straightened out the launcher.
"STOP PUSSY FOOTING AROUND!” Hunter commanded. “BLAST HIS ASS, DAMMIT!"
Ethan locked on to his target again. A rocket propelled itself from the boy's launcher. Without notice, a squad of ATF soldiers busted into the room and gunned down the masked kid. Hunter squeezed the trigger on his turret gun, firing progressive shots at the incoming missile.
The rocket was unscathe and continued its acceleration.
Hunter directed the pilot to release flares and prepare for evasive maneuvers.
Streams of vermilion lights ejected from underneath the carrier's hull as the rocket met the flares -- detonating on impact.
Hunter got off his turret, stepped towards Ethan and dragged him off the console. Ethan scrambled to his feet.
"You're a hard-headed mother..."
"Wait!" Angela whispered impeding Hunter.
Hunter went over to her, releasing her from the harness. Angela sat up motionless. Dried blood stained her wrist. She stared back at Hunter. Using a penlight, he checked for dilation of her pupils. Ethan walked over to them both. Hunter resumed checking Angela's vital signs.
"Do you realize what your hesitation could have cost, McCall," Hunter glared up at Ethan.
He turned back around and looked at Angela. She cocked her head back and spat in his face.
Wiping saliva from off his cheek, Hunter clenched his jaw and smacked her with the back of his hand.
She cried out.
"Seems like old habits die hard, huh," he whispered in her ear.
He walked off, picking up his shotgun.
Ethan approached Angela, wrapping his arm around her small frame, he held her body close to his chest.
***
The Apex Carrier Delta approached the rooftop of Apex Headquarters. Littered on top of the building, Chaos members scattered into position as they all carried automatic weapons and assault rifles. Two men with rocket launchers ignited the night sky with streams of ordnance. Apex support teams repelled down along the side of the building. The helicopter hoisting the soldiers was hit by a guided rocket. Exploding on impact, the helicopter descended and crashed into the team like a burning inferno. Hunter directed the pilot to use 8mm incendiary rounds. As the two assailants were hit multiple times by the gunfire, the surrounding rebels ran for cover.
The plane landed. Ethan helped Angela down the hatchway while Hunter walked behind them. Two masked men appear from behind the plane and started shooting from the rear. Ethan searched for cover with Angela while Hunter returned fire. Bullets flew past Angela's head. Ethan placed his arm on the back of her shoulder as he tried to keep her head low. Hunter shot one guy in the knee while the other man came rushing towards him. He shot the final assailant in the chest with his shotgun.
"Now...” Hunter mocked, approaching the wounded assailant, still holding his knee. “What's a night in Advent City without a little bit of Chaos!"
Hunter took off the shooter's mask revealing a woman. Picking the woman up from the ground, he slammed her against a nearby wall.
"Tell me something I wanna hear!" he demanded.
The woman screamed.
"Oh, I like screaming... but you can do better than that," Hunter took out a combat knife. "Eventually, I always get my way."
"WATER, Pendejo!" she cried out. "We're here for the water!"
She lunged for his knife, but he threw her on the floor. She reached for a nearby gun. Hunter shot her in the head with his sidearm before she even flinched. Angela hid her face in Ethan's arms.
"We could have gotten more intel from her," Ethan said, looking at Hunter. "We don't know what the situation is inside."
Hunter looked at the two of them.
"Funny... because I know exactly what the situation looks like out here," he uttered as he walked away.
***
Hunter opened the door on the roof leading to the building's staircase.
Dark and quiet, the three of them entered the Apex building. Powering up their attached flashlights, Hunter and Ethan both readied themselves, weapons forward.
"What's the plan?" Angela whispered to Ethan.
"We'll reach the President's office... escort the two of you out of New Gate and hopefully, get you to Belmont Manor.
Angela nodded her head.
Running without pause, they hit a blocked path as a concrete wall fell in front of them.
"Shit!" Hunter exclaimed. "The President's office is just beyond this wall. We've have to get past this debris.”
Hunter typed a sequence of keys on his wrist monitor.
“There’s another way...” he continued, still focused on the blue holographic screen in front of him. “We'll have to go back up... in the server room... we should find an elevator there!"
"You trust an elevator?" Ethan exclaimed.
"The floor above us is where they keep the servers, right? Special access is needed to get into that room. It'll lead us to an access elevator for the President's office."
Running up the stairs, Ethan and Angela followed behind Hunter. Peeking his head through the server room window, three masked men were working on the main computer console. Ethan, Hunter, and Angela stayed concealed as they entered the room.
"How much longer?" one guy asked.
"Not much longer. I hacked into the mainline already. Soon the release valve for the water will open up. Just a few more minutes to configure protocols."
"What about the bomb?" the third guy asked.
"Advent City will fall once Hera is dealt with," the computer guy answered.
Angela shrieked. Ethan quickly covered her mouth.
"What's that? Who's out there?" asked one of the men.
"Go check it out!" replied the computer guy. "And try not to shoot up the place."
The two men turned on their flashlights and drew their weapons. As they patrolled the vast labyrinth of computer servers, Ethan, Angela, and Hunter crept their way forward.
“Stay with Hunter,” Ethan uttered to Angela.
Hunter nodded.
Crouching between the corners of the electronic labyrinth, Ethan waited for an opportunity to flank the guards.
"Hey, over HERE!" Hunter yelled.
Ethan saw one of the guys look in Hunter's direction. Catching him off guard, Ethan swung his leg and kicked the gun out of the man's hand. Blocking a strike from the assailant, Ethan then punched him in the mouth. The mask on the guy's face broke as he dropped to the floor. The other member of Chaos bellowed as he fired his gun. Running towards Hunter’s direction, Ethan chased after him.
Grabbing Angela, Hunter used her as a human shield as bullets whizzed past both their direction. She screamed as Hunter returned fired from behind her with his shotgun. Ethan leaped in the air and tackled the man from behind. The two of them engage in hand to hand combat between the computer servers. As the assailant fell to the ground, Ethan broke his arm with a well-placed kick then choked him out with wires dangling from a nearby mainframe.
"What the hell?" Angela contested, as Hunter dragged her by the arm.
"Nice work, McCall! Took you long enough."
He pushed Angela towards Ethan.
"I think the honeymoon phase is over."
"What's the matter with you? You could have gotten her killed!"
"I pulled those guys out of their cover, didn't I?" He replied. "Besides, you flanked them. Let's move on."
Ethan held Angela's hand as she pressed up against him. Hunter stared at the both of them then pointed to the main computer.
"I think we still have one more piece of trash to take out." He continued exhausted.
They approached the man at the main computer. He was typing at a furious pace. His white mask was on top of his head. His glasses were focused on the computer screen in front of him. He didn't move from his wheelchair. His Apex name badge said, Bernard.
"Almost ready... almost... almost... almost, Done."
Bernard hit a final key. Nothing happened.
"What? I.. I don't understand?" he exclaimed.
"Expecting a bomb to go off?" Hunter asked.
"For heaven sakes, No! Only a dumbass would set that off now!"
Hunter pulled Bernard from his chair.
"Talk!"
"Ok! I was told to release the water valve in the storage container units..." he winced. "that... that is all!"
Ethan took control of the console as he checked the monitor screens. "Nothing happened. The pressure... it's still good."
"You idiots! You damaged the servers back there!" yelled Bernard.
Radio chatter came in from a walkie-talkie on the console.
“Bernard... Bernard... you there? What's going on in the server room? Why aren’t the valves opened yet?” the voice said.
Ethan looked at Hunter.
"Don't say anything," Hunter warned the computer guy. He released him back into his chair.
"Hey, you three... I can see you!" The voice warned. "I don't know who you are, but it's too late."
Ethan grabbed the walkie.
"Where are you?" he demanded.
"Where else would I be? The President's office, dipshit!"
Ethan dropped his head.
"Look, I don't have any interest in negotiating. Open the damn valve... and let's all go home." The voice on the walkie demanded.
Hunter grabbed the radio. "Where's the bomb?"
"Oh, you mean this thing in her hand!" the man laughed. "Let's just hope she has a nice grip on things for the people of Advent City... or else Ka-Boom!"
Hunter looked at Ethan and nodded towards the direction of the secret elevator.
"Alright," Hunter agreed. "We'll give you what you want, just don't..."
"Get off me you crazy bitch!" the voice yelled.
A gunshot went off.
Discharge
Upon hearing the noise, Angela's eyes widen. She covered her mouth as a single tear rolled down her startled face.
Ethan pulled at her arm as her hand slipped freely from her face. Running towards the elevator in a group, Hunter inserted his key card and the door slid open. Bernard stared at them through his fogged up glasses. Taking the lenses off his nose, he pulled down the white mask that was sitting on top of his head over his face.
"The fall of Apex has begun! Soon we will have our water by setting the city on fire."
"Is it safe to leave him like this?" Angela asked.
Bernard wheeled himself towards the elevator. "You hear me!" he yelled. "You're too late!"
Ethan glanced at Hunter. The captain shrugged.
As the wheelchair rolled close to the elevator door, Ethan lifted up his foot and kicked Bernard in the face. Falling backward off his chair, Bernard winced in pain. As the handicapped man laid on the computer room floor, Hunter walked over to him and picked up his wheelchair.
"You're lucky...” Hunter mocked, “I would of just put a bullet in you." Throwing the wheelchair in the elevator, Hunter got back in it and smirked.
Crawling towards the elevator door, Bernard watched as it slid closed.
***
"McCall, you got a plan?" Hunter asked.
Ethan placed himself against the elevator wall. His breathing was short and his hands trembled. "Ethan... Ethan?" Hunter repeated.
The sound of Hunter's voice grew faint as Ethan slid towards the floor from the elevator wall. Looking at Ethan’s wrist monitor, Hunter noticed zero was on the timer’s gauge. Angela scrambled towards Ethan as she searched his pockets for his medication.
"Here, take this!" Hunter commanded as he reached inside Ethan's chest pocket. He gave Angela the vial of pills. Ethan reached for them but struggled as he put them in his mouth.
"Swallow them!" Angela demanded.
As the ding of the elevator’s bell rang in Hunter’s ear, he turned around in a smooth motion as the door slid open. With his shotgun drawn on his targets, he remained still.
"Welcome!" a voice called out from inside the President’s office.
Two masked men were standing outside the elevator door. A third assailant laid dead on the floor with the word 'Kaos' etched on his mask. Hera stood in front of the two men. She was bounded and gagged with a detonator in her hand. Staying close to Ethan and Angela, Hunter stood up and held his position.
"Ethan, swallow," Angela cried out.
Dropping the two pills from his mouth, Ethan’s eyes rolled back as he fell into a seizure. Reaching across Ethan’s lap, Angela went for the fallen pills.
“Your leader is dead now,” Hunter demanded. “Stand down."
One of the masked guys looked at the other one. As he pulled out a gun from beneath his oversized coat, the man gestured the other guy to say something.
"Boss... boss! Tell 'em what you want." the masked man said with a muffled voice. "Ask 'em about the water valve... tell them we need water!"
He hit the other one over the head with his pistol, knocking him to the floor.
"Ask them about the valve, Boss!" he yelled repeatedly.
He stomped the fallen man in the face. The man wearing the trenchcoat mocked his companion as he danced around him in a boot scoot boogie.
Hera cried out a muffled sounded. Bound to her hands, she fidgeted with the explosive device.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa there... darling! You might wanna hold on tight to that!" The man said, picking up her hands with the device.
Ethan's vision came into view as his seizure finally subsided. Staring at his light blue eyes, Angela gave him his medication.
The masked man walked over to the dead body on the floor. Holding his shotgun, Hunter held his position, weapon ready. As the masked man took off his disguise, he threw it on the floor. Peeling the mask off the dead man’s face, the man with the trenchcoat picked it up.
"Thanks for holding that," he uttered.
With the word ‘Kaos’ inscribed on the forehead, the man wearing the coat pulled the mask over his face. Sweat drip down Hunter’s neck as he noticed a scar under the man’s left eye.
"Let's be honest, I don't give a damn about no water..." Taking a syringe from out his coat pocket, the man continued. "I could care less about a cause..." He walked back next to Hera. "All I want is the Occulus." He squeezed liquid from out the syringe. "So tell me... WHERE CAN I FIND THE ORB!"
Hera screamed muffled through her bondage.
"What’s that?" He teased. "You know something I don’t? Why please... do tell!"
Forcing her face down to the floor, he took the syringe and held it to the back of her neck.
Ethan loaded a magazine in his pistol and clea
red the chamber. With both of their guns locked on to the man in the trenchcoat, Ethan and Hunter glanced at one another.
"Stand down, McCall. She's holding a dead man switch," Hunter commanded.
"I have a target," Ethan replied.
"Do not take the shot, lieutenant!"
"I got it!"
"You're not ready!"
"I'm ready!"
"McCall!"
Flying towards the president, a helicopter exploded as it crashed against the tempered glass window that surrounded the office. As the power to the room flickered off, gunfire erupted as everything went dark.
Hera’s scream alerted Angela to her location.
"Mom... you're hit."
As the man with the trenchcoat ran, Hunter gave chase. Balancing halfway out the office, the helicopter teetered as gasoline leaked from its underbelly. Pinned beneath a slab of concrete, Hera struggled to free herself as Angela stood beside her near the window. Slipping her petite frame beneath the slab, Angela held her mother’s hand as the helicopter rocked back and fell towards the ground. Landing on an SRT (Special Reaction Team) truck, the helicopter exploded on impact causing a tremor that shook the glass off the first-floor lobby. As the floor beneath Hera crumbled behind her, she flailed her bounded arms as she slid out the window of the building.
"Ethan!" Angela screamed.
***
Ethan scrambled out of the elevator and ran towards Angela. He held out his arm to Hera as her bounded wrists were wrapped around a blunt piece of rebar. She grabbed Ethan’s wrist and shrieked in fear as he pulled her up.
"Where's the bomb?" Ethan insisted.
"She’s still got it!" Angela answered him.
Hera’s hands shook as she held the device in her palm. Ethan released her bondage and removed the dead man switch from her hands. Gently wrapping the switch with the cloth bondage, Ethan placed it down on the floor. As Hera released the device, she reached behind her head. Ethan pulled her hair back and noticed the syringe lodged in the back of her neck. With trembling hands, Hera snatched it off.
Angela approached her mother. Caressing her daughter's face, Hera forced out a smile. As tears welled up in Angela's eyes, she hesitantly returned the gesture. Hera looked down at her daughter's bleeding abdomen as Hunter returned.
Raising Sera- Lineage Page 4
