Post Battle Pain

An emotionally defeated Starlio Stex returned.

Dakota who was the first to see him quickly called the presence of Javier Navarro as she quickly rushed over to him,looking at his battle damaged armor and behind him,an equally tired Shannon who walked in with him.

"What the hell did you two do?"Dakota asks.

"My Dad's dead...my..."Starlio was at a loss of words as he collapsed in devastation at the nearest bench while Shannon shook her head,hinting for Dakota to stop asking questions."The Chairman...we wanted to ambush him but he had Mason taken hostage and killed."Shannon walked over to Dakota whose eyes widened in shock,nodding back at Shannon to signal a mutual understanding.

"Starlio?"Javier came out of an office.

Starlio sat with his head down,clearly too distressed to respond as Shannon quickly explained the scenario to Javier softly.Javier understood quickly as he went to sit beside Starlio,hoping that the prodigy would at least be comforted by his words.

"Starlio...I know you might want to be left alone currently but...you have to know some things."Javier began.

"It's okay...I'm listening."Starlio whispers.

"Your father...he would want you to keep the rest of your family safe.You said that he turned against the Chairman and brought you time to escape before right?It would be best if you take the grief you have now and turn it into something productive.I'll help you book a boat out of the country for your mother and brother.A plane is too easily tracked so-"

"Thank you Javier.But I have...I'm afraid I need you to do it for me.You...Shan and Dakota,can the three of you please get my family out of the country safely?I'm counting on you."Starlio looked up at the three of them.

"What are you saying?"Shannon asks.

"You guys go.I'll fight them off."Starlio stood up,walking towards his lab when Shannon grabbed his hand,stopping him:"Starlio...you promised me before.This is our fight,all of ours."

"I know you're in a state of anguish now but Starlio,this was not what I meant.Once we get Alice and Mitchell safe I'll pull every resource and friend I know.This fight against the Chairman is not yours alone Starlio,many business partners like me have been in one day affected directly or indirectly negatively by the Chairman.Many want him taken down too."Javier tells Starlio.

"I'm not going to take him down.I'm going to finish it."Starlio wiped his tears.

"You're gonna kill him...aren't you?"Javier guessed."Why the fuck should scum like him be alive?"Starlio answered without any change to his determined tone.Shannon clenched her fist,walking over to Starlio and punching him lightly in the gut.

Starlio stood there,completely unfazed.

"You promised me...show mercy,don't lose yourself!You'll become a murderer like him!By then what's the difference between you and him?!"Shannon asks.

"I don't fucking care."Starlio's eyes were lifeless.

"Star...you can't-"

"Why not?He needs to die.We all agree that it needs to happen deep down."

-

The Chairman held his fist high into the air,instantly silencing the hundreds of armed men in front of him,all of them turning their attention towards the hulking gang lord.

"Fall back into your positions."The Chairman commands as the crowd dispersed.

"Alius...there's no way we are just gonna let him go right?"Argus approaches The Chairman,calling him by his real name.The Chairman looked down at the corpse of Mason Stex as he signaled a few nearby men to clean the body up.

"Of course not.That was just...a warning to him."The Chairman proudly says.

"So what's the plan now?"

The Chairman looked behind him at the platoon of twenty behind him."We go ahead and proceed.Our operations have become increasingly difficult thanks to that fucking teenager.I've lost millions to that brat already,it's time to go all out.When's the next batch of Ironblood doses going to be ready?"The Chairman turns to Argus.

"The Science Division predicts by the end of this week.When do you think-"

"Get more blood out of me later on.Get the scientists here on this island by tonight.We have no time to waste,Starlio now has the capability to take out multiple Ironblood soldiers thanks to his newest armors.If we are to defeat him,we need manpower,strength and technology combined.We must not let our guards down."The Chairman explains.

"You guys hear that?!"Argus roared to the platoon who slammed their fists to their chest,almost like a communist military squad,emotionless and just living to fight.

The Chairman turned to the squad:"I expect results.Your predecessors are...untrained in comparison.They may have the will and hunger for blood,but they are not soldiers.You twenty...you are all marines,soldiers,combat trained elites pumped with my very blood.When you meet Starlio again,which will most definitely will.Rip his armor apart...if you can kill him,do it.If not,injure him,make sure he is as immobile as it gets and bring him to me."

"Sir.You mentioned a reward-"

"Be patient.Yes,a reward will be offered to whoever brings me Starlio...or even any of his family members or friends.A million dollars at the minimum,based on what you accomplished,that number can easily multiply and if I perceive it,more doses of Ironblood.If you can handle it."The Chairman smiled.

-

Stex Enterprises.

Shannon walked towards Starlio's lab,hoping to talk to him when she heard a rocket sound in the distance.She instantly knew what was going on as she sprinted towards the window to see Starlio,in the Model 15 taking off into the sky.

"A.I?Where is Starlio going?"Shannon used their shared A.I.

[That information is confidential.]

"Shit..."

Starlio was out for blood.Barely hours had passed and he was already determined to move past his grief and take action against his father's murderers.The armor was more heavily armed than ever,with his batteries full charged and plasma energy levels capable of creating devastating attacks,Starlio was certain that with the firepower he was packing,he would be able to wipe out the entire island in one clean blast.

Starlio soared forward and quickly spotted a few speedboats,armed with a mounted machine gun leaving the island.The Chairman's goons.

[Targets:3.Hostiles:14.]

Starlio burst into the water,diving underneath the boats which greatly confused the men on the boat who barely saw him speed past them.

"Was that Starlio?!"Starlio could hear them as he fired three homing missiles,which traveled through the water at insane speeds and exploding all three boats from beneath the water,easily taking care of them as Starlio shot back out into the sky,heading back towards his destination...or target.

[Plasma Cannon:Full Power.]

Starlio's arm armor panels began moving across one another,sliding through each piece and component seamlessly and extending itself to become a cannon merely the size of a 1.5 liter bottle,but a cannon that packs destructive power most armies can only dream of.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Starlio could see the island in his sights as he aimed his arm cannon,ready to wipe every last weapon and men of the Chairman swiftly.

"Fire in 3....2..."

[Five Hostiles Detected.]

Starlio paused for a moment."Only five?Model 15 Re-Scan."

[Five Hostiles Detected.]Starlio knew something was wrong as he disabled his cannon,flying towards the island and the source of the five signatures detected.Five men,tied up to chairs and their heads covered with bags,sitting in a circle in the middle of a grass field.

Hostages...?

Starlio quickly landed by them,popping his plasma blade and ready to cut them loose when the seemingly hostages ripped the ropes with just a quick squeeze,jumping at Starlio at shocking speeds,grabbing him and pinning him into the ground with superhuman force.

Starlio was quickly put into a choke hold as he quickly kicked himself away,trying his best to free himself only for more of the Ironblood soldiers to tackle him back down.

"Smash his head!"The Ironblood soldier called out to his mates.

Starlio activated his missile,determined to free himself as he fired the projectile into the ground,creating a large explosion that blasted soil everywhere,slightly damaging his armor at point blank range but successfully knocking the Ironblood soldiers away.

"Looks like there's no need for holding back now."Starlio drew his plasma blade.

"After you."An Ironblood soldier offers as the five of them each drew out a plasma axe.[Warning:Plasma Energy can do considerable damage to the armor plating.]

Starlio ignores the message as the five soldiers charged.

The first Ironblood warrior charged as Starlio sped towards him,ducking under his attack and swiftly stabbing the first attacker in the belly,gutting his intestines out without mercy and quickly focusing his attention to the nearest next two attackers who were already swinging their weapons towards him.Starlio knew he couldn't avoid both in time as he sidestepped,dodging one and using his forearm to block the second strike forcefully.

His opponent's heated axe sunk into his armor,cutting a dent into it as Starlio quickly flew upwards,dragging the attacker with him before flying back towards the ground,grabbing the attacker by the head and smashing his skull into the ground,breaking the floor open in the process.

The other three attackers paused for a moment,shocked by the teenager's brutally and spotting his glowing blue eyes through the smoke emitting from the shock wave created.

"He's...The Chairman didn't warn us about this?!"One of the Ironblood soldiers panicked as another stopped him:"There's a reason why he made so many of us,we can take him.Come on!"The Ironblood soldier roared,tossing his axe at Starlio who quickly ducked,turning his attention back when another plasma axe slammed into his axe,caving into his armor.

[Armor Chest Piece Breached.]

Starlio ignored the warning,pulling the axe out when the Ironblood soldiers reached him,tossing a punch that knocked him backward for another to swing her axe at him,striking him across the shoulder and tearing chunks of the Model 15 out.

"Dismember him!"

Starlio quickly rolled aside,jumping back before activating his thrusters,speeding right back and slamming his fist right into an Ironblood soldier's head,breaking his skull and sending his lifeless body flying backwards.

[Armor Integrity:67 percent.]

That's more than enough.Starlio thinks to himself as the remaining two Ironblood soldiers leapt at him,swinging their axes that he easily dodged away from,using his armor's mobility to weave through their attacks,launching his plasma blade and cutting the second last Ironblood soldier in half from the waist before turning around,throwing his blade like a javelin and ending the life of his last opponent.

[No Heartbeat Detected.]

A sharp pain was lingering down his arm as Starlio looked down to see a rogue piece of his broken armor sinking into his arm.The teenager began plucking out several broken chunks of the armor away from his shoulder,reaching for the rogue piece of armor and pulling it out of his arm with great discomfort.

"Fucking waste of time."Starlio didn't even bat an eye as he took off into the sky,making sure that he was a good distance away from the island when he reactivated his cannon,his armor's arm panels transforming to his command and charging the blast up.

One concentrated bolt of plasma energy began shooting towards the island which quickly erupted like a chemical reaction,rocks that formed the foundation of the island rising into the air,the island itself becoming like an unstable sandcastle,erupting into debris and pure blue light.

An ear shattering blast struck first,followed by the shock wave of the blast that blew Starlio back a little,looking down at the island where his enemies were.

-

Stex Enterprises.

Javier Navarro was going through several files,trying to book a boat for Starlio's family out of the country with Shannon behind him helping when the ground began shaking a little.Shannon looked around,praying that nothing big was happening as she shared the same look of confusion as Javier.

"You felt that?"Javier asks.

"Earthquake...?No way right?Our city isn't even near any active areas."Shannon asks.

Shannon got up from her seat,grabbing her phone:"A.I,what was that vibration?"She knew that Starlio was already trying to isolate himself away from them to preserve their safety but deep down...she knew he couldn't do it alone.How could he?

Please...please answer me.

To her delight,the A.I responded:[Model 15:Full Cannon Power Discharged 2 Miles off Plex City Coastline.Island of Fishing Factory:Fully Destroyed.No survivors.]

No way...Shannon took in the news when a nearby television was turned on by Javier.Footage of a massive cloud of burning smoke,visible all the way from Plex City's coastal area being reported on by a reporter when Starlio,in his armor shot past the sky in front of the camera at supersonic speeds,greatly surprising the reporter.

"He blew up the entire island?"Shannon asks.

"With one shot...yes.I knew the armors Starlio built were powerful but until now...I've never seen him do anything like this.We cannot let him go down this path,he's becoming too angry to think straight."Javier tells Shannon who nods when they heard a thud on the roof,signalling Starlio's return to them as both Shannon and Javier bolted upstairs.

The two were quickly greeted by a ragged and bloodied Starlio Stex who disengaged himself from the Model 15,which had pieces falling off it while blood was flowing down his arm.

"Star!"Shannon cried out to Starlio,who ignored her,dragging the Model 15 towards the repair bay and allowing his machines to begin fixing the armor.Shannon marched towards him,holding him by his hand and forcefully stopping him:"Star....you're getting your emotions overflow your thought process...take a breather alright?Stay here,let's talk."

"Can't...no time to waste."Starlio brushed her off as Javier himself stepped forward,placing his hand on Starlio shoulder and holding him back.

"You're bleeding Starlio.Sit down,let me fix that wound."

"It's okay...I got this."Starlio sloppily grabbed a bottle of wound cleansing alcohol,pouring it on his wound when Shannon jumped in with a bandage,helping him wrap it around his arm.Just barely a moment after Shannon finished it,Starlio stood up,heading to his armory:"A.I,deploy the Model 5,activate all combat functions."

"Starlio...you are not going out there now."Javier stopped him.

"I'm not asking."Starlio brushed Javier aside when the Model 5 flew towards him."Model 6 deploy!"Shannon calls her own armor to herself as both teenagers suited up in front of each other."Starlio,stop now before I have to stop you."

"You can't."Starlio tried to push her aside when Shannon used the super strength for her armor to push him onto the ground.

Starlio tumbled to the ground as Javier stepped forward:"Listen to her Starlio.What can you do going out with injuries?Stay in here and rest okay?Let your armor repair itself at the same time,help us get your family out of here."

"I'm counting on you."Starlio stood up only to be pushed back onto the ground by Shannon.

"I'm not letting you leave."

Starlio looked Shannon in the eye as the helmet closed them away from each other:"Shan...I'm not asking."

"Neither am I."

"You sure you want to do this?You can't stop me."Starlio warns.

"Try me."

Starlio pushed her back,trying to take off when Shannon activated her thrusters,flying towards Starlio,grabbing his leg and slamming him onto the ground,breaking the floor beneath them."Javier!Lock the building down!"

Javier nods,sprinting towards the control room as Starlio got up,turning towards Shannon who charged into him,tackling him into a wall and forcefully pinning him down when Starlio ducked under her,grabbing her arm and tossing her away from him as Shannon collapsed onto the ground,quickly pushing herself back up.

"You..."Shannon's voice cracked.

"I'm sorry,but this is what has to be done."

"No it isn't!"Shannon begged,activating her thrusters and blasting herself full speed into Starlio,tossing him into the ground and landing a barrage of punches onto Starlio,who was simply raising his forearm in defense and barely fighting back.

"Shan...stop."Starlio pushed himself up,grabbing her by the waist and tossing her through the wall of his lab as Shannon broke through the wall,landing outside at the main office and terrifying multiple employees."Shannon,please...stop.You know I have to fight."Starlio tells her as Shannon looked up at him,preparing her flame cannons.

"Okay,we're done here.A.I shut down the Model 6."Starlio says.

"Wha-"Shannon couldn't even finish her sentence when the Model 6 shut off,completely going offline as Shannon collapsed onto the ground within the armor which released it's pieces,ejecting her out of the armor."You...you have contingencies?"Shannon's voice was trembling with devastation.

"Sorry."Starlio says,taking off through the roof and into the sky,leaving a heartbroken Shannon on the ground alone.

Next Chapter- The Chairman