Chapter 3: Rust Moon
“DONE!!!” Fang called out, rallying the group down to her room.
“We’ve waited two months for you to finish…” Wing sighed
“Well, what did you find.” I said calmly “Something is occurring that we don’t know about, hopefully this will brief us on it.” Screech added.
“Well, it was heavily encrypted and places several viruses into every database and storage unit on my computer… And now through all of that, the video can finally be presented you all, on this basic-”
“Fang, I swear if you don’t play the damn video.” Coil had cut her off.
“Fine!” She tapped the play button. “Asshole” she mumbled under her breath as the video began to play. There was a tall man, dressed in black, he hair was black and grayed at the sides, his eyes were hooded and his skin was pale. He stared at Mr.Yumi who had just entered the room, dressed in the same grayish-white lab coat that he tortured us in.
“What will we do about the failed capture of those “Demise” People” The man in black said.
“I have begun a way to counter these escaped prisoners of mine.” Yumi laughed “During their time here, I was working on something to replicate them, ways to defeat them. Project Zodiac is what I call them.”
“Well, how is that project of ours going?” He asked happily.
“My team and I have progressed swimmingly… but”
“But what, Yumi” One of his brows raises.
“We can’t seem to insert the new gene directly into a regular human. The body doesn’t know how to deal with the mutation and eventually attacks the gene, killing it and leaving a hole in the subject’s DNA sequence. This subsequently leads to the body’s immune system not recognizing its own cells, as it begins “cleansing” itself, the body inevitably dies leaving only what the immune system hasn’t killed off before reaching the heart, lungs, or brain.” Yumi takes in a deep breath and exhales.
“So, the Zodiac experiment is a failure” The man sighs.
“You didn’t let me finish” Yumi smirks “My team decided to try and implant a stronger variation of the gene into insects and animals instead. These organisms were inculcated to search for and inject the gene into a suitable host, someone who is on the brink of death. I’ve learned that the human body is susceptible to the gene more so when they are close to death than when healthy, this leads to the gene installing itself into the DNA sequence with ease. This causes the body to mutate and become just what’s needed to defeat those jailbirds of mine.” Yumi chuckles a little.
“Well done Mr.Yumi, which are the Zodiac hosts you have collected.” he smiled.
“I’m glad you asked Mr. Morelli; One of the variation genes, Scorpio was placed into a man found half dead in the desert, variation Leo was placed into a woman with a broken arm, bleeding out in the Savannah, and the double variation Pisces was placed into a couple who were drowning in the middle of the Indian Ocean.” Yumi replied with a smile that gleamed of accomplishment.
“Well, let us move to the training facility Mr.Yumi” Morelli laughed. “I wish to see what they can do!”
“Of course, sir, you should see how well they’ve been progressing with their abilities.” They both laughed as they left the room and the video had ended after five mins of silence. Fangs room began to fill with panic as everyone began of thinking of ways to figure out how to deal with this threat.
“Stop, I’ll go out and gather new members from around the U.S you all stay here and train till I return.” Screech commanded “Wing, were going to New York.”
“Wait, I want to come as wel-”
“No Blade, you stay here.” Screech had cut her off. “I don’t need all of you to go out and get captured by these “Zodiacs”” Screech added as Smoke came forward.
“Screech you know we won’t listen to such a command, if there are other people out there like us, who don’t exactly know how to control their powers, let us go and find, teach them to control it; if they wish to leave afterward, then so be it. I can sleep happy knowing that more of us, out there right now, can defend themselves against this new “Zodiac” threat” His words filled the hearts of the group as they all looked back at Screech with determination in their eyes.
“Fine” Screech sighed “Let’s all go and split up around the U.S, where you go is up to you,” I said as Wing and I leave too New York. 49 hours had passed before we arrived in the city, we drove around the city and gathered information on what was where and how to get from point A to point B. “Let’s go to the outskirts of the City, I’m going to try something out.”
An hour had passed before we got out the car and waited.
Let’s see if I remember my tracking training
Screech takes in a deep breath and concentrates, placing his hands on the floor; A wave of a nearly silent black noise was released out in front of him, flooding the city.
If someone reacts, white noise should be sent right back to me, and… there, I see a teenager and a preteen, in what seems to be a rundown apartment building.
“Found two, they have their powers but have never manifested them, let’s wait a few months before we go and check how they’ve progressed.”
“Alright” Wing said excitedly “I hate the city lights” He laughed as we got back into the car, and they began to drive back to Fl. “What do you think the others are doing now?”
“Probably looking for someone with the demise gene” Screech responded.
In Georgia, Smoke and Shot watches as a band performs. Shot kept his eye on someone who was with someone else in the crowd, something was different about them, something that he couldn’t quite figure out. He gazed down at them and eavesdropped on their conversation as the smell of smoke filling the air had become too much to bear and the drunks began to scream at the top of their lungs. The guy starts to leave and she follows behind.
“Hey, Mark.” She said with a smile as they walked together out of the area and into town. Shot tells smoke to follow them as well.
“You didn’t enjoy it either did you, El.” Mark laughed “Would you like to go somewhere a little quieter and not filled with drunks.” He added with a chuckle.
“Definitely.” She smiled, wrapping her arm around his.
“Why are w-”
“Shhhhhhh” Shot put his finger over Smokes lips.
“Do that again and I’ll make sure you won’t wake up tomorrow” Smoke quietly snapped.
They followed them for four minutes to an abandoned parking garage. Mark and El looked up, watching as the moon turned this red, rusty color almost as if the moon was rusted.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it” He said as he slowly held her hand.
“It looks like a love story.” Smoke quietly laughed to himself as Shot gave him a piercing stare.
“Yes, it is” El replied, blushing.
“Can I ask you something Elyse” He asked, looking her eyes and getting closer.”
“Anything!” She replied hastily.
“What are you” He whispered into her ear.
“What?” She asked, “I don’t know what your tal-” Something heavy and sharp had ran through the center of her being, she looked down to see the tail and stinger of a scorpion, giant, roughly three time the size of Mark.
“Sorry El, but I was sent to kill you” He said as a single tear trickles down his right cheek “Just as I was falling for you too” He added as he lifts her body with his tail and tosses her onto the ground. “Well, I guess this is goodby-” He watches as she stands back up, her body repairing itself.
“Hey Mark, do you mind dying for me” She laughed with a devilish smile, she charged at full speed, grabbing his torso and lunging over the edge of the parking garage. “I love you.” She screamed as they increased velocity. She quickly jumped off as her distal phalanges covered the top of her fingers and sharpened, stabbing them into the outside wall of the garage, slowing her to halt. She turned back, probably hoping that he was unconscious but ok; instead saw a shadow as his hand gripped her face, dragging her back up the building and forcing into the ground, leaving a small crater. He stood over her, smiling.
“I’m sorry El, just sleep for a bit.” He raised his tail up “I won’t be coming back to harm you again, I’ll them that I kill you and threw you in the sewers. I will always love you” His stinger comes crashing down on her, sending her through all six floors of the garage, leaving her unconscious. Before leaving, he stared at us, as if he was saying that they will decimate us all. Shot smirks just as he leaves, jumping over to the garage, picking her up and fleeing the scene.
“Her arms broken and she’s barely breathing.” Shot began panic
“I know, let’s bring her back to base, she won’t hold out if we try to do it here.” They both nodded and laid her down in the back seat. “Even though she can heal a lot faster than we can, she exhausted all of her power in that last fight” He sighed They began to drive back down to base, Smoke released a gas, to help her body resist the bacteria in the car
“You think she’s cute” Smoke smirked.
“SHUT UP!” Shot snapped back, his facing turning red as Smoke laughed.
Fantasy
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I’m loving this story! I can’t get enough of it. it kind of reminds me of Maximum Ride. Nice work!