Chapter 4: Rising Up – Chapter 3(Finale)

"HAYLEY COVER ME"

Danny screams out, activating his muscle enhancements as he charges head first into into one of the escort vehicles.

"YOU FUCKING MANIAC" 

Hayley whips out her rapid fire, automatic pistols to provide support. A storm of bullets shower the second mobile escort positioned behind the cargo truck leaving Danny with an unobstructed path. With two large strides he pounces off the floor, raises his fists above his head, clasping them together. In one violently powerful motion crushing down on top of the car, collapsing the armour inwards and forcing the car onto its back wheels. Pulling his arms outwards, securing a deep grip onto the chunk of armour, Danny locks his heels into the road.

"HHHYYYAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!"

Danny muscles ripple with all his might, as the car begins to lift off the ground. Throwing his arms up he launches the car off the highway into the road below, subsequently losing balance and joining the car airborne. Luckily for him, Kellin launches a grapple from the car that catches Danny and drags him in.

"Gotcha big boy, now lets go for gold."

"Heh, thanks Kelly."

Refief paints Danny's voice.

"Kell pull up close to this next one."

Hayley reaches into the back of the car and pulls out a brand spanking new top of the line, definitely acquired on the black market, rocket propelled launcher with enough firepower to explode a Stalker's tank. 

"Hayley wait!"

Kayley cries out, far too late as Hayley fire towards the car.

An explosion powerful enough to break a large chunk of the highway sends the second escort vehicle plummeting to the ground beneath... or at least whats left of the car. The force alone sent everyone else's car flipping and turning, even the cargo truck.

In the aftermath, Braxtec guard climbed out of their overturned vehicles to lay fire upon the crew. Everyone perched behind their own car for cover.

"I FUCKING TOLD YOU TO WAIT."

Screams Kayley gutturally.

"I'M SORRY! How was I supposed to know it was THAT powerful?!"

Hayley's croaky voice glossed over the issue for more pressing matters.

"We've got to hurry, it's only a matter of time before backup arrives."

Hayley swings out from behind the car, tossing an emp grenade towards the guards. The moment it erupts, the guards threw their tech reliant helmets off. Kellin and Danny took this chance to launch an offensive, Danny running straight ahead drawing the majority of their attention. Meanwhile Kellin using his cybernetics to swiftly speed around the outskirts cuts through the guards. Simultaneously drawing both swords from his back and side, begins to spin and contort his waist, using one blade at a time to expertly slice each guards head off, or at least slice their jugular. 

Danny, mimmicking his earlier movement, launches himself into the air. This time he throws a simple, but effective, enhanced fist down onto the head of one guard. His skull caved inwards and down into his own body, blood exploding outwards. The final guard in spite of his trainning, shook in fear as he watched his comrade eviserate under the behemoths fists. He threw his rifle up, aiming directly for Danny's head. Suddenly his optics fried, as he collapses onto the floor, frothing from the mouth.

"Next time don't just run forward like an idiot Danny."

Kayley lays down a snide remark as she moves towards the truck to hack open the cargo hold.

The crew gather themselves as they wait for her.

*krrrrtttttt*

The cargo door cracks open and Danny rips it apart, inside a secure case laid perfectly undamaged. Whatever this cargo was, it was clearly important enough to Braxtec to spare no expense. As the crew collected the case and made their way back to the car, Hayley cries out.

"SHES DEAD, MY BABY! KELL SHE'S DEAD! NOOO WAHHHHHHHHH."

Hayleys car was a wreck and was certainly not going to be their escape vehicle anymore.

"What the fuck do we do no- Oh shit."

Kellin stops in his tracks, as three mobile air units approach the scene.

Two squadrons of death stalkers rappel down ropes to face the crew, rifles fixed on them, holding position.

"Thats odd, shouldn't they be firing by now?"

Danny quips.

"Yeah for real, Kayley, think you can do something here?"

Kellin quietly and desperately asks.

"Working on it, I'll short-circuit their optics- we all jump over the edge."

Kayley commands.

"Got it."

Hayley replies with heavy breaths.

One more person lands in front of the crew, not by rappel but simply by jumping down, a feat no ordinary man would achieve. Standing tall he eyes them up and down.

"You've got to be fucking shitting me."

Danny's voice deflates in the presence before him.

"What, what is it, who the fuck is that?"

Kellin's panic soares.

"It- It's Kaine. It's fucking Kaine."

Danny quivers, trying to prepare himself.

Kaine. One of the most legendary mercs in River City. Mowed down hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, only the best of the best can afford him. Tall, Toned muscles that still allowed for agile and flexible movements. one hand completely replaced by a chainblade and modified with an electrical current. The other was completely molded in alloy metals allowing for more dangerous modifications. A long black trench coat, Deep eyes consumed by a black optic with a faint white ring. His most famous attribute though, was the scary compatibility he has with cybernetics, people compared him to a speedster from the comics.

"Just some dumb kids, what a waste."

Kaine scratches his head, staring at the crew with slight disbelief.

Black eyes scour the team, it seems like he was locking onto what Kayley was doing.

"FUCK, NOW!"

Kayley yells out.

The team sprang to action, Hayley threw another emp grenade high in the air. Danny, with all his might, Smashed the ground to crack through the highway. Kellin didn't act because he was the only one who could see what was happening. Kaine had launched himself directly past Danny, aiming for Kayley, crossing his blade arm over his opposite shoulder in preperation to cleave her down. Kellin launched himself to intercept, his speed augments in full effect but just like Kellin, Kaine could see him.

Kaine slams his foot off one of the shards of broken rubble brought up by Danny, throws his head back and directly headbuts Kellin between the eyes. Kellin crashes through the air into the rail, his optics fizz and attempt to recalibrate. Before Kaine landed he had drawn a silver revolver with gold plate trims. Without even a glance, he aimed it into the sky and shot perfectly through the grenade.

"KELLIN?!"

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Hayley screams out, unable to understand what just happened.

Kellin bought the time needed however, as Kayley activates the optic disruption allowing chaos to ensue. The dozen Death Stalkers clutch their heads in pain as their cybernetics attempt to resolve the hack. Danny runs over to collect Kellin as the crew attempt to make a break for it.

"BLEUGH"

In front of Kellin, Danny chokes up blood.

"DANNY!"

Kayley cries out, tears building in her eyes.

The sudden, and deafening blast of Kaines chainblade revs as an erruption of lightning circulates through his body. Blood seaps out of every cut, orifice and hole. Finally, Danny's body detonates. Chunks and viscera paint the surroundings. Including over Kellin, who stares blankly at the empty space his friend one stood.

"I'm afraid to say kids, no one's leaving."

Kaine, with a flick of his wrist, shook off the guts hanging onto his blade as if he'd done it a thousand times before.

"AAGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Hayley springs into action, launching an offensive of bullets out of her dual action handguns. Kaine's enhanced frame allows him to dodge most of the bullets, even blocking some. Resembling a one man army.

Kayley creeps over to help Kellin up as she attempts to hack into Kaine who previously, somehow, blocked her optical disruption.

"Huh?"

Kellin glances towards Kayley as his mind adjusts to the shock. Slowly watching as the afterimage of Kaine metal arm closes on crunching the underneath of her jaw in a ferocious uppercut. The split second before the force erupts onto Kayley, the two meet eyes, her's say she knows. Theres no fear however... But determination. Kellin knows what this means, by any means he must resolve himself.

Kayley's entire skull, joint with her spine, exits her body in a terrifying rip, a sound resembling the zipping of a coat. The thought of throwing up and balling in tears surfaces but Kellin forces down, no time to hesitate now. No matter how fucked this all was. Hesitation meant death.

Launching Kayleys body towards Kaine, he uses his leg to swipe out Kaines. Kaine, caught by surprise, loses balance. Hayley screams out unloading all her ammo into her sisters killer. Taking advantage of the opening, Kellin sprints with all his might towards Hayley, grips around her waist and charges for the edge. Hayley gunfire refuses to cease, revenge consuming her once warm eyes. 

Reaching the edge Kellin sees that below them stretches a row of rooftops and underneath that, some marketplace tarps. As he prepares to jump however, out of his peripheral vision, Kaine's afterimage enters once more. A blink of his eyes as he approaches. Kellin's reflection within the white ring. If he jumps with her, they'll both be cut down so theres only one choice.

"Make it to the top, Hayley."

...

"huh?"

Kellin launches her off the edge.

"KELLIN?! KELLLL-"

Hayleys screams cut off in his mind as he throws a wild blade out to deflect Kaine's attack. To moderate success the blade diversts his attack from piercing his heart and instead, Kellins body is cleaved in two horizontally, blood screaming from his torso like a fountain.

"I could jump down after her you know?"

Kaine spoke with frustration as Kellin coughs up blood, forcing himself to squeeze out a reply.

"But you won't." 

"hmph... You know kid, you'd make for a fine addition to our crew. Guts like that, no offence meant."

Kaine guestures to the intestines crawling out of Kellins body.

"heh- Arghh, thanks for the offer but- ugghhh... I'd rather die than be a corp's pet. 'Kaine'."

Kaine stood silently for a moment, contemplating.

"Heh... I get it, for what its worth, you did good kid." 

 

 

 

In the back room of a certain bar.

"You know Dick, I haven't seen the kids in a few days."

Angel speaks with an accusitory tone.

"Look Angel, you know as well as I, that shit happens... I haven't heard anything from them since. But uhh... I have heard something else."

Dick response has a twinge of regret.

"What, Dick?"

...

"Kaine made an appearence the other day, a lot of explosions and a lot of chaos."

Dick slouched back in his chair.

"Fuckin- Kaine huh... He hasn't done shit in years and all of sudden, now?"

Angel sighs aggressively.

"They're dead then, aint no way they stand a chance in all seven hells, facing up against a monster like Kaine."

"Yeah..." 

...

*CRASH*

The duo spin to face the door. Crashed on the floor with bloody pool gathering around her, Hayley lies barely conscious crying with ragged breaths.

"HAYLEY"

Angel rushes to her side and pulls her to the table.

"GET MY MEDICAL EQUIPMENT... I aint gon let you die kid. Just... Hold on."

"Danny... Kayley... Kell..."

Hayleys voice drifts off.

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