Chapter 25: High-end Denominator
The group moved quickly through the broken streets of Whaley Saw.
FWOOSH!
Smoke from the Red Zones drifted through the air.
Zwiing....Zwiing...Zwiing.
Sirens echoed in the distance.
Somewhere ahead they spotted a lone figure waiting near a collapsed bridge.
Tall.
Calm.
Watching them approach.
Avenor Yakisa.
Her sharp eyes scanned the group.
Then she looked directly at Zachia.
"You look like trouble."
Zachia grinned.
"You have no idea."
"We're leaving."
"Right now."
Yakisa looked past him.
Her gaze stopped on Daito.
Something about him made her pause.
"You must be the reason everything suddenly changed."
Daito didn't answer.
Because alarms had already started ringing across the city.
* * *
Far away.
Deep inside the towering headquarters of the NBA.
A massive war room lit by cold white lights.
GLANG!
GLANG!
CLANG!
Dozens of monitors flickered with incoming data.
Officers stood in tense silence.
At the center of the room stood a woman dressed entirely in white.
Her voice was calm, controlled and cold.
She addressed the command council.
"The report has been confirmed."
PING!
A holographic map appeared.
Highlighting one location.
Whaley Saw.
Then a photograph appeared beside it.
The image of Daito.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Target verified."
She folded her hands behind her back.
"Daito is alive."
A pause.
Then she continued.
"And he is currently inside Whaley Saw."
Deep within the towering command structure of the NBA, the atmosphere had shifted.
PING!
Large holographic displays filled the command hall.
On one of them, clear image of Daito Greyhell appeared.
A murmur spread across the gathered officers.
"What?....no way."
"That's impossible...."
"How?"
Several of them exchanged surprised glances.
One man leaned back in disbelief.
"He's alive…"
Another smiled faintly.
"So he actually survived the fall at Armagoth."
A few of Daito's former comrades looked almost relieved.
"Typical Daito."
"I knew he wouldn't die that easily."
But not everyone shared that feeling.
Across the room—
BAM!
One man slammed his fist against the table.
Hard.
The metal dented slightly.
Sakumo stood there, his face twisted with rage.
"He should have died!"
His voice echoed across the room.
"How in the world does someone survive a fall from that height?!"
His anger burned uncontrollably.
"That was supposed to be the end of him!"
Before anyone could respond—
SWOOSH!
A shadow moved behind him.
GRAB!
A massive hand grabbed Sakumo by the throat.
SWOOSH!
And lifted him off the ground.
BANG!
CRASH!
His body slammed against the wall.
The entire room went silent.
Holding him there effortlessly was the leader of the NBA.
The man simply known as.....
The Boss.
His grip tightened.
"Do you see…"
His voice was low.
Cold.
"…what your actions just caused?"
Sakumo struggled to breathe but forced the words out.
"I'll fix it!"
His eyes burned with hatred.
"I'll go myself!"
"And this time…"
"I'll kill him for good!"
The Boss stared at him for a moment.
FWOOSH!
Then released him.
Sakumo dropped to the floor coughing.
"You're lucky," the Boss said calmly.
"The new Dreamers have been performing… exceptionally well."
He turned toward the large display showing Daito's location in Whaley Saw.
"But Daito…"
"…is a complicated problem."
The woman in white stepped forward.
"What are your orders?"
The Boss folded his arms behind his back.
"We deploy everything."
He spoke slowly.
"Send the Dreamers."
"Send the Savages."
Then he turned his gaze toward a sealed corridor deep within the facility.
"And prepare…"
"…the ultimate weapon."
Flick.....Flicker..
Lights suddenly flickered on along a distant hallway.
A large reinforced door illuminated.
ROOM 007
The Woman in White stiffened slightly.
"Sir…"
Her voice lowered.
"Are you serious?"
The Boss didn't hesitate.
"This is an opportunity I cannot afford to miss."
His eyes slowly began to glow.
A deep crimson red.
"Daito Greyhell…"
"…might be the key to everything."
He turned toward the control room operators.
His voice cut through the silence like a blade.
"Activate…"
The room grew colder.
"Project…"
A pause.
Then the final word echoed through the chamber.
"A.B.I.G.A.I.L."
SWOOSH!
Every person in the room felt a chill run down their spine.
Because everyone in the NBA knew what that name meant.
Inside Room 007, a massive containment door slowly opened.
CLANG!
BRRRFFFF!!
Heavy hydraulic locks released with thunderous echoes.
PPSSHHHH!
Steam poured from the chamber.
And from the darkness, something metalic, massive and towering moved.
A giant mechanized body built purely for destruction.
Inside that monstrous frame…
Sat a boy.
Silent.
Emotionless.
A weapon.
The most dangerous creation of the NBA.
Project A.B.I.G.A.I.L.
The machine stepped forward.
STEP!
CLANG!
Each step shaking the floor.
Back in the command hall, the Boss watched calmly.
"Deploy immediately."
"Find Daito."
He paused.
Then added quietly—
"Bring him back."
"Dead…"
"…or alive."
* * *
ZWIING!
ZWIING!
Sirens wailed across Whaley Saw as Daito and the others sprinted through the narrow streets toward the escape route Wasabi Yuko had mapped.
"Two streets ahead!" Wasabi shouted while glancing at her tablet.
"After that we hit the eastern barrier!"
But before they could reach the intersection, a massive figure stepped out of the smoke.
The ground trembled under his weight.
Ragnarock.
Behind him stood several Savage operatives, blades already drawn.
CLING!
CLANG!
"So," Ragnarock said calmly, "running already?"
The team slowed to a stop.
Daito glanced around quickly.
Then spoke quietly.
"We're going through the Red Zone."
FWOOSH!
A few heads snapped toward him.
One of them asked, half joking—
"So we're the bait?"
Daito didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Another voice followed.
"For who?"
"The NBA or the Freakers?"
Daito's answer was simple.
"Both."
Without another word—
SWOOSH!
The group bolted straight toward the infected district.
The twisted structures of the Freaker Hive rose like rotting towers of flesh and fungus.
The deeper they went, the louder the sounds became.
Wet breathing.
Scraping claws.
Movement inside the walls.
Daito finally stopped in the very center of the hive.
"Spread out."
Everyone understood immediately.
SWOOSH!
They scattered into different buildings around the nest.
Behind them, Ragnarock and his squad entered the hive slowly.
His gaze moved across the empty streets.
Then he spoke.
"Zachia."
He looked toward the buildings.
"And Yakisa."
"You chose a losing side."
His voice darkened.
"For that…"
"I'll hunt you myself."
Then suddenly—
BEEP!
A distress signal lit up on Ragnarock's wrist monitor.
He looked down.
BEEP!
One of his squad icons vanished.
Then another.
BEEP!
Then another.
His eyes widened.
"They're—"
KA–BOOOOOOM!!!
One of the buildings exploded outward.
Stone.
Flesh.
Wood.
Everything blasted into the air.
CHLIRRRR!
SPLATTER!
Pieces of Savage armor and broken weapons rained down like dust and ash.
Bodies fell from the sky.
Out of the smoke—
CRASH!
Four figures landed.
Daito
Zachia
Champagne
Wei-Wan
Each one stood in a battle stance.
Weapons ready.
Eyes locked on Ragnarock.
Ragnarock slowly cracked his neck.
"A pincer formation?"
He smirked.
"Cute."
Zachia stepped forward.
"Drop the act."
"We know you're stronger than Daito."
He pointed at Ragnarock.
"But that only matters if you're fighting him alone."
He gestured around.
"There are four of us."
"All on his level."
Zachia grinned.
"Which means…"
"It's game over."
Ragnarock roared.
BOOOOZZZ!
His Savage Power erupted violently around him.
Energy exploded outward.
But—
SWOOSH!
It was already too late.
The four of them moved simultaneously.
Blades flashed.
Fists struck.
Bodies blurred.
Within seconds—
SLASH—SLASH—SLASH—POW!
Ragnarock's body was shredded apart before his power could fully stabilize.
The battlefield went silent.
Then suddenly—
VRRBRRRMM!
A loud engine roared above them.
Everyone looked up.
A massive black jet descended through the smoke.
The insignia of the NBA glowed along its wings.
GLIZZZ!
The rear hatch opened slowly.
Inside stood a group of elite operatives.
The newest squad of the Dreamers.
At the front, one man stepped forward.
Twin blades rested on his waist.
Sakumo.
He stared down at Daito.
"Well…"
"I have to admit."
"I'm surprised you survived the fall at Armagoth."
His grin widened.
"But this time…"
"I'll kill you myself."
Zachia squinted at Sakumo's weapons.
Then sighed.
"Well."
"Bad news."
He glanced at the others.
"He's a dual-wielder and worse, a high-end denominator."
Daito stepped forward calmly.
His eyes never left Sakumo.
"You all go."
The others looked at him.
"Join the others and escape if you can."
His voice was steady.
"I'll deal with this one."
Before anyone could argue—
SRRRAAAA!!
The hive suddenly reacted violently.
BRRRMMM!
The ground shook.
"Skkreee!"
"Skkraww!"
"Shhkrraaa!"
Screeching roars erupted everywhere.
Dozens.
Then hundreds, of Freakers began crawling out of the buildings.
The disturbance had awakened the entire nest.
SWOOSH!
The Dreamers leapt from the jet immediately.
They attacked everything in sight.
Freakers.
Rebels.
Anyone standing in their path.
The entire battlefield descended into chaos.
Then Sakumo moved.
Faster than anyone expected.
SWOOSH!
He launched himself toward Daito like a missile.
Their blades collided instantly.
CLANG!
The force blasted both of them backward.
They smashed through the wall of a nearby building.
Fighting mid-air as they flew through debris and shattered concrete—
CLANG! CLONG!
SLING! CLONG!
CLAANG!!
Striking.
Blocking.
Clashing repeatedly, before their bodies even touched the ground.
To be continued....