Travelling is probably in my top five favorite things about Titan. The small-town kid inside me saw the world through them. Even before the bucket list, I had many locations to visit. Unfortunately, Detroit was not one of them. So as Sarah and I rode through the cities in a gray modded-up 2004 Chevrolet Malibu, I saw a city in decay.
Stan's shootout created a tense atmosphere you could cut with a knife. The collective stress seemed to seep into the environment. Potholes, deep cracks, and arching grooves made our ride so turbulent that our usual banter was interrupted. The surrounding light poles and older buildings felt like the solid stares of scornful eyes. Like we were foreign bodies treading on sacred ground.
The feeling only increased when we drew closer to the safe house. Regarding Titan getting based in major cities, hiding in plain sight was better for us all. A rickety old home away from surrounding neighborhoods practically made the perfect cover. I didn't realize how detrimental that could be till tonight, though. Because when we arrived, our fabled safehouse had turned into a lonely graveyard.
The pungent stink of smoke and ash filled my nostrils before I got out of the car. Echoes of splintered wood and glass came next, amplifying my heavy footsteps through the driveway. Touching the miraculously intact doorknob felt oppressively hot, like I was nothing more than an animal heading toward a boiling pot. I moved forward despite this.
So with my partner, we entered the burnt and devastated structure. The gaping hole from above provided all the natural lighting we needed, revealing how gutted the base was. Wood, insulation, and brick lay about in large piles. I wish I could've said the same for the bodies.
At least a dozen soldiers were sprawled about the complex. Each corpse felt more gruesome than the last, slowing my pace till I got utterly paralyzed. Then, without prompting, painful memories wretched me back to the past in a scene far too familiar to this.
"Not again," I said while Sarah checked out the area.
"Torn jaws, claw marks, dismemberment. I've never seen carnage like this before. It doesn't seem consistent with what we saw in the tape. Do you think they already get Stan?" Sarah said inquisitively.
The mere mention of his name got a reaction of at least someone, as, underneath a pile, a feminine voice groaned weakly. Rationality got thrown out the window as I sprinted down to the source, begging for history not to repeat. The decision nearly cost my life, as Sarah noticed something I didn't.
"James, don't it's a-,"
Her last words got cut short, overshadowed by a rapid metallic tentacle bursting from debris like a bullwhip. In seconds I got thrown back, colliding with a pillar so hard it cracked, along with something else. Due to the nature of my armor, people think I'm unstoppable. Unfortunately, painful lessons taught me that being bulletproof doesn't make you invincible.
Most piercing ordinances get stopped dead in their tracks. Past a certain threshold of force, though, the man inside is in as much danger as an ordinary vest. Meaning pulling through is a matter of sheer will. Upon hitting the ground, my body went through purgatory. My blazing ribs trapped me in a painful limbo, too pained to get knocked out but too immobilized to breathe. Meaning I sat on the bleachers while I saw what killed my comrades.
Every nightmarish sci-fi film I saw came to life as three animal-like robots rose from the rubble. Each had a silver shine, red visors, and golden-tipped appendages of different body types. The first was a wolf, making its way known through its golden underbelly and teeth that seemed to rotate like a chainsaw. The second was a red-eyed vulture with sharp golden talons and guns on its back.
Finally, there's the squid. Its cracked red eye overshadows its six metallic tentacles. Blood and oil covered up their frayed wires and busted circuitry. Through the shock, I still saw an unconscious man lying about underneath one of the piles, still alive. That was all the motivation I needed.
Resolutely I gritted my teeth, summoning any adrenaline I could muster to push through the pain and get the hell up! My skull felt like it was exploding from the sheer effort while black splotches coated my line of sight, a painful teaser of all I was about to see in a few seconds.
Amidst my writing, though, I forgot a key factor, I was with the Paladin. Suddenly a blinding light tore through the darkness as Sarah quickly pinned our enemies with glue bombs. Immediately she then lifted me with a bo staff in hand. Another sharp gasp escaped me when I balanced on the pillar.
"C'mon, James, I don't know how long that'll hold them," she said panicky.
The answer wasn't long enough as the wolf slashed off its right front leg to escape explosively into a pouncing strike. I tried slowing my breath, preparing myself for what was to come. From there, Sarah launched herself off the pillar, meeting the hound head-on with a spinning swing that keeled it over. Meanwhile, the squid used another mechanical appendage and leveled it menacingly.
Deciding to go full medieval, I respectfully unfurled my shield and machete while keeping a hand on my left side. Unfortunately, I only got one chance at this. The robot struck first, zooming its tendril with killing intent. But, again, hours of pro boxing knowledge came in clutch, moving forward and diverting the strike with dual weapons.
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Consecutively I stomped my shield down to pin the tendril and then cut it off with my machete. Black bile splattered across my helmet, giving my throbbing side a little relief and satisfaction before the drone raised another arm from on high. Instinctively I gripped the ripped-up limb, using every bit of momentum to counterattack!
Sparks flew overhead as the two blows met with equal power, but I still pressed the offensive as I wrapped my new weapon to another limb. A brief tug of war took place, hoping I could at least bring the foe off balance. Unfortunately, the opposite happened as I got raised midair on the world's most dangerous crane game. Still, I rode the momentum, letting go to bet everything on my machete!
That titanic slash got interrupted as the bird finally escaped its' adhesive prison to swoop into battle. Several bullets ricocheted off my shield, slowing me down enough to get dive-bombed back to Earth. At the last second, I shifted to land on my uninjured side and rolled towards my breath, but it still hurt tremendously. I didn't even get time to breathe as I used my machete to counter a series of sharp swipes from metal talons.
Throbbing pain slowed me down again as the aerial nightmare nearly slit my throat with a slicing backspin blow. My helmet got ripped off from sheer force, leaving me to see the full terror of my opponent as it tried bisecting me on razor-sharp wings. I tried keeping up the offense, but the sheer speed ironically made me lose my blade faster.
Realizing I was defenseless, the demonic robot backed up to blast my head off. Unfortunately for him, firepower was my domain. Before he fired, I lunged with my shotgun on one arm and pulled the trigger. Time seemed to slow down as I saw a beautiful stream of rainbow-colored sparks burn a hole through the robot before an explosion threw me down.
Similarly to me, the wolf engaged in a dance of death, but where I tripped, my partner soared. Numerous small cuts peppered her body, but through every twisting lunge, she responded faster. Finally, upon the umpteenth attack, Sarah stumbled, falling back while the hound bared silver jaws, according to plan.
At the lost second, Sarah instantly regained balance, shifting her weight to unfurl her dreaded sai. Pure fluidity took over as she stabbed the beast's skull before it landed face first in hard brick. Then, using the leverage, Sarah completed her onslaught with a malicious axe kick straight into the sai, slicing the wolf's maw in half. Oil and broken machinery caked Sarah's boots, signifying her victory.
In retaliation, the squid drone poured its attention toward her. Haymakers, at the speed of jackhammers, showered the battlefield as she replaced melee with ranged. Hoping to get cover, Sarah unleashed a smoke bomb through her graceful movements and slipped through the screen to hand me her gun.
Without thinking, I held it up and fired. Even with broken bones, my accuracy stayed true, showering us in black oil from the squid's now shattered eye. Giving Sarah time for her last magic trick. Her grapple gun, armed with a piece of jagged debris, fired back at the bast.
Shattered stone bolted through the remains of the drone, causing it to sputter to lifelessness in a small explosion. Then, as suddenly as the attackers came, the fight was finished. Remembering the girl, I tried moving closer, but Sarah immediately took the reigns, her medical knowledge showing.
"Get your rest and call this in, James. You shouldn't be standing around yet. I'll take it from here," she said decisively.
I wanted to protest, but I knew she was right deep down. So I followed orders, calling in Titan, and unfortunately, waited while my friend did everything she could; my past and present seemed to merge into one. Finally, over an hour later, a recovery team arrived. The Gearheads rummaged through tech. Medics patched us up as Sleepers started stringing another cover story.
The pain meds shut my mouth to the latter's actions. Years of protocols made me understand why secrecy is needed, but it never sat right with me. My entire job involves fighting on the front lines, a philosophy I've also carried off the battlefield.
When Margaret and I were together, I came clean when I knew she was my wife, and I intend to do the same with Lily one day. Not everyone here was as fortunate as I, but the smoke and mirrors aren't much better. Because the families of those soldiers will never know the true depths of their loved one's actions, there'll always be some form of regret, a distance no one will ever know.
It's a burden that can tear one apart, or it nearly did me. So maybe that's why I'm so about this damn bucket list. Because being so close to death, makes me feel like I've gotta live more. Life's short enough as it is.
Eventually, the medics got our incredibly injured but still holding on agent on a makeshift gurney. Before she got an ambulance, the woman called Sarah and me. Ignoring my obvious injuries, I walked over to the woman, silently wincing at her amputated right leg. Shakily, the woman weakly chose her next words.
"Thank you b-both for saving my life. I owe you one. After my team extracted Stan, f-five of those machines barreled through the safe house. They tore through us like butter. In the chaos, Stan ran away. Before he ran away, though, I placed a tracker on his shoulder," she said weakly.
Wordlessly she then raised a busted communicator with an antenna on top.
"You can u-use this to track him," she said with trembling hands.
In calm reassurance, I took her hand, grasping her hand while saying.
"You did great, soldier, now get some rest," I said with as much kindness as possible.
A tearful smile took over the woman's face before she got carted off. When she was out of sight, Sarah finally decided to speak.
"Maybe you should follow your advice, James. Give me the device. You've done more than enough," she said in an outstretched hand.
Beneath the strict diction, there lay genuine compassion, one very few people in Titan get to see. But unfortunately, those last few words only made me more restless. I'm still here. I've still got all my limbs intact. I'm still in fighting shape. I could still do so much more for those who can't right now.
"No, Sarah, I'm sticking with you till the end," I said definitively.
"James, this is bigger than we both thought. Stan being MIA means that this now purely a manhunt, my territory," she said fiercely.
"And if getting Stan means we have to run into more of those things, then it's a firefight which is my territory," I countered back.
"You don't understand, James. Those robots used that woman as bait. They waited for her to call us out and ambushed us. Meaning whoever's on this case is smart, ruthless, and has resources," she said distinctly.
"Which is why you need me," I said more aggressively.
"You have multiple lacerations and two broken ribs. The fact you're even standing right now is a miracle. You need to rest," she said passionately.
"And I need to ensure you don't go in alone!"
A turbulent silence overpowered the surrounding agents as we looked at each other. Despite our many differences, it seemed we were extremely stubborn. Instead of letting my emotions rise, I decided to go with the truth. Slowly my demeanor softened as I told Sarah with full honesty.
"Please, Sarah. I won't be able to rest till this is done." I said with tears starting to form.
That night, I saw one of the strongest people break composure, if only for a second. Somehow struck a chord. So much so that she gave way a little to her vulnerability by saying.
"Fine, but I'm praying, James. Please don't make me regret this. I've lost too many people already," she said as she started getting ready in the car.
"I have, too," I think before joining her on the hunt.