The Legion of Steel

Titus' signal has gone cold.

The Chairman looks at his henchman,who stumbled back slightly in fear from the sheer pressure the gaze of the Chairman was giving him."I expected Titus to last longer in the fight.I guess I shouldn't even be surprised at this point considering how many times Starlio had exceeded my expectations."

"Sir,we have found Starlio's friends.They are heading towards the airport."Another henchman reports.

"Ready the men.Starlio has definitely made some contingencies against us."The Chairman orders when another henchmen walked towards the mob lord,ready to report another set of news."Sir...I believe we have bad news."

"What is it now?!"The Chairman growled as all three henchmen took a step back in fear.

"Sir...Starlio found your mother."The henchman nervously begged as the Chairman got up from his seat,growling:"What happened to the men stationed there?!He's there now?!"

"Yes Sir...I believed he tracked her down through the energy levels the men's weapons gave out."The henchman reports as The Chairman walked towards the nearest computer setup of theirs,turning on a signal that led directly to the CCTV at his mother's house,watching as he saw Starlio enter the room with a blaster on his arm,still freshly smoking clearly being just used.

All Starlio found was a frail old lady.

This...?What the hell is going on?Starlio didn't understand what he was facing as he disarmed himself,transforming his blaster away and approaching the old lady who seemed to be relieved,watching him approach her.

"Hi...are you okay?Did the Chairman do this to you?"Starlio asks.

"Help...."The old lady managed as Starlio looked around the room,quickly ensuring their safety before going behind the wheelchair,ready to move her out:"I don't understand,he never targeted the elderly,are you someone important to him?"

"I...Alius...he's my son."

Starlio paused for a moment,digesting the information as he began thinking about the events that had lead up to this moment.Parts began putting themselves together and it all made sense now,no wonder the Chairman didn't help Argus when they fought because he was trying to get his mother away."I don't understand...why are you here?Is...Alius,is he treating you well?"

"My fault...I...I sold him off as a...kid...we were...too...poor to raise him."The Chairman's mother struggled as from the camera footage,the Chairman stopped his men from storming the place in an instant,his attention hooked onto the conversation between Starlio and his mom.

"What is this...?Did he do this to you?"Starlio was in disbelief.

"No...I...this is a stroke...he found me,after over 30 years...took me in...kept me alive.But...never more.He made me...barely survive,trap me in this....house.Sends men...to...watch me round...the clock...I...am not free...he sees this as...my punishment...for abandoning him...I've watched him...hurt...steal,kill....so many times and...he made me....drown in my own guilt as...revenge..."The old lady managed,coughing a little as Starlio knelt down,worrying for her health.

"Alright...I'll get you out of here,but...I have to stop your son.He has spent the past 2 years hunting my friends and I relentlessly.He has single handedly caused my life to go sideways,killed both my parents,my friends,mentors...I'm sorry...but I have to put an end to this.I hope you can understand where I'm coming from."Starlio tells the old lady.

The old lady nods.

"My son...is...now evil....I give you....my permission to....kill him."

The Chairman fell back in defeat,not believing the words that came out of his mother's mouth.For the first time in a long time,The Chairman wasn't sure he knew what he was doing anymore.He could see Starlio,dialing the police to help his mother as one of his henchmen asks:"Sir...sir do we-"

The Chairman swung his fist in rage,exploding the henchman's head into a blood spray in an instant,terrifying the other men in the room.

"Do nothing...focus everything....all our men.I want Starlio dead today."The Chairman growls.

20 Minutes Later.

Shannon took off into the air in her brand new armor.

Three black cars were hot on the school bus' tail as Shannon dived down,deploying spikes from her forearm and pointing them at the incoming vehicles as micro missiles deployed,raining down explosions onto the cars and creating a window of time for the bus to get further towards the airport.

This was already the third batch of the Chairman's forces that found that as common sense would inform them,that was merely the beginning.

Shannon could see the airport in the distance with hundreds of cars and trucks alike trying to evacuate the building,which meant that whoever Javier contacted was doing his job right.Shannon looked around,trying to ensure their safety when the armor began warning her:[Hostile Helicopter,2 Kilometers.]

"Track Starlio,where is he now?"Shannon commands.

[Starlio.12Kilometres West.Currently talking with policemen.]

Looks like I'm alone for the moment.Shannon looks at the bus which is now arriving at the airport as she flew towards it just in case anyone was ambushing them at the airport.Shannon landed at the arrival lobby as she scanned the area quickly before signalling for her friends to get off the bus.

"Come on!To the terminal!"Shannon calls out.

"I'll lead."Javier offers when Shannon spotted multiple airport guards running towards them,asking them to halt."Who the hell are you guys?!"One of the guard asks,looking at Shannon who was clearly in her suit of armor and Angie,stepping forward to explain:"We have a flight booked,there are men hunting us which is why we made the evacuation happen."

"You guys need to get out of here as well,those men we are talking about may come in the thousands,all of them heavily armed."Roy adds on.

"Look kid,if this is some kind of elaborate prank-"The guard tried when Shannon stepped between them:"Look at what I'm literally wearing,does any of this look like a joke?"

The airport guards paused when gunshots filled the air,echoing into the sky as the guards' radios began going haywire,guards all over the airport calling for help:"Unit 06,we're taking heavy fire!"The call out barely lasted before being cut off as the guard froze in place,realizing that Shannon and the gang may not be lying after all.

"Unit 13,hundreds of armed men!North Gate!Requesting backup!Re-"

The wall on the other end of the arrival lobby exploded as dust spread across the ground,the blast shaking the ground and armed men armed with assault rifles,storming into the building and horrifying the few remaining civilians who took off for their lives.

"Behind me!RUN!"Shannon yells,deploying a holographic shield and charging towards the armed men.

The airport guards drew their weapons as well,firing at the Chairman's henchmen who began raining bullets down on them,making,hitting the two airport guards and splattering them apart almost instantly when Shannon reached them,slamming her shield into the first henchman who was sent flying across the airport building and crashing into the ceiling.

[Dodge.]

Shannon's armor automatically moved itself,dodging a strike before drawing a twin pair of whips and began radiating plasma energy as Shannon roared,spinning herself in a circle and slashing her whips around herself,slicing and slashing the group of henchmen and taking them out in an instant.

"Holy shit."Shannon was impressed by the armor's capabilities.

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"Shannon!"Joseline called out as the gang began hearing the thundering blades of a helicopter hovering above the building they were in."Shit...!"Shannon tried her best to speed towards her friends,fearful that the helicopter might fire its weapons at any moment when the aerial vehicle exploded,Starlio ramming through it like nothing before tossing it's entire body of debris away from the building.

"Everyone okay?!"Starlio asks.

"We're...we're good."Shannon caught her breath as Starlio landed right to her,patting her on the back:"You did good.Let's go."

Starlio led the charge,leading his friends towards the other end of the terminal where their supposed aircraft was supposed to be awaiting them at."I saw several tanks approaching us.Are you sure we won't be shot down?"Roy asks.

"I'm the one he wants,trust me I'm gonna make myself the most obvious shit in the world."Starlio answers.

"You make sure you survive yourself.I don't want your death on my conscience."Frank adds.

"Trust me,if I die,the Chairman is going down with me."Starlio tells his former bully when another explosion burst open the wall in front of them,knocking Joseline and Kane off their feet in which Shannon quickly sprung into action,deploying her shield to block the incoming debris from crushing their friends.

"Star!"Shannon calls out to Starlio who leapt out of the hole through the wall,jumping down and smashing his fist into the tank below,crushing it entirely with a single punch making it look like the war machine was made out of cardboard.

In the distance Starlio spotted groups of cars,trucks alongside tanks,military trucks and even helicopters,a literal army beginning to swarm them.

"Where's the jet?A.I display route."Starlio says.

[Jet.650meters away.]

"Alright everyone follow me!"Starlio commands when bullets begun spraying towards them as Shannon deployed her shield once more,armed men catching up towards them and unloading their weapons.

Starlio growled,firing a missile that blew the first squadron of henchmen into oblivion before another group showed up,easily replacing them.

Shannon quickly shot a missile,blasting the roof and causing a massive pile of debris to fall between them and the henchmen,creating a literal wall that separated them."Come on!Gate 17!"Dakota calls on to the group who all began running towards the gate which was down a long corridor.

They were only at Gate 5.

Bullets pierced through the window panes of the airport,shattering the glass and causing the group of teenagers to jump back,avoiding the window.

The group began making their way to Gate 17,each of them trying their best to speed up,almost to the point of sprinting but at the same time,conserving part of their stamina as a last resort option they had just in case they needed to sprint.Gate 7....Gate 9....Gate 11....

A military helicopter swooped towards the side of the building,relentlessly firing it's guns.Javier quickly threw himself at Roy,pushing him aside as a bullet struck his hand,exploding it in an instant while Angie quickly dashed towards the lawyer,quickly pushing him behind cover and buying some time for Starlio to jump into action,deploying his plasma blade and slicing the military helicopter's tail away,kicking the helicopter like a doll and crashing into the ground.

"Javier!"Shannon noticed,attending to him.

"I...can move....go!"Javier says as Frank lifted the lawyer on his back with Kane helping lift his legs,continuing the race towards the jet.

Kane spotted a cleaning cart,pushing it and ramming it right through a glass barrier,allowing the group to further more when Joseline yelled:"Get down!"

Laser points began shining through the windows,snipers taking their aim at the group as Starlio responded quickly,deploying his arm cannon and firing into the direction of the snipers,the massive blast of plasma energy striking a hill that oversaw the airport,exploding a massive chunk of the natural structure and causing a landslide to rain down rocks onto the incoming army,hindering a portion of them.

"Come on!"Roy held the door open for Frank and Javier,passing Gate 12.

BOOM.

Shannon turned around to see the collapsed debris previously blocking the corridor being blown apart as an entire platoon of armed men crawled through like mindless minions,ignoring the insanely stupid space and taking aim at them.

Shannon raised her shield,making sure that her friends were covered when a missile flew towards her,shot from a rocket launcher that her armor instantly dodged,Shannon grabbing the missile mid air and redirecting it back at the platoon who got caught in the explosion.

"300 Meters left we can make it!"Joseline says as she and Kane lifted a table together,smashing through another glass barrier and giving way for the injured.

"The plane is right there,come on!"Angie spotted the private aircraft in the distance.

Gate 14.

Gate 15.

The ground shook as a chunk of the building in front of them exploded,two military tanks below shooting up at them,blasting debris and glass pieces everywhere and forcing Starlio into action,using himself as a shield and tanking the incoming shards of glass,doing his best to shield his friends when Roy cried out in pain.

Starlio turned around to see two pieces of glass shards sticking out of Roy's waist,his arm covered in blood,his friend collapsing onto the ground in pain.

"Fucking assholes!"Starlio shot his arm out,panels began deploying and launching a dozen micro missiles and blasting the tanks beneath,the missile ripping apart the war machines like paper as flames engulfs the culprits of Roy's injuries.

"Roy!"Starlio flew towards him as Roy grit his teeth,enduring the pain.

"Just...go..."Roy tried only for Angie to quickly grab his arm,throwing it over her shoulder and forcing him up."Don't be crazy you dummy,I'm not letting you die here.Go Starlio!I got him."Angie begged Starlio who knew better than to argue,nodding and springing into action.

More aerial vehicles swooped towards them,firing several missiles towards the airport building in which Shannon flew side by side with Starlio,the couple deploying both their shields,combining their holographic defense into a big shield that the missiles struck into,exploding off mostly harmlessly with several rogue missiles hitting the sides of the building,causing massive collapse to parts of the structure.

"GO GO!"Joseline yells,helping Angie carry Roy on their arms and with their combined effort,managed a sprint out of danger temporarily as boulders began collapsing on the ground they were standing on just moments ago.

Gate 16.Almost there.

"Go down the stairs..."Javier advises as the group finally reached Gate 17,a stairway leading directly out to the air field when a random missile flew towards the private jet,exploding the aerial vehicle in an instant,going up in flames.

The blast caught Starlio's attention as his heart sank.

No....

"Get back!"Frank roared as another missile narrowly missed them,blowing up a chunk of the staircase that they were heading towards.

Starlio looked behind to see his friends,Roy and Javier with blood and injuries hindering them,Joseline and Frank,the stronger ones of the group trying their best to bring the rest of the group behind cover and Shannon...who was clearly lost,a girl that had placed her life and faith on his hands.

This cannot be the end...no....I have one...last option.

"I never thought that I would ever do this,but there's no better opportunity than right now.You are all people that I can trust and love."Starlio mutters.

"Star...?"Shannon's voice broke.

"I have one more thing....I don't know if I will work,but if it does,we can beat them."Starlio tells his girlfriend before opening up a new tab on his HUD:"All available armors,deploy to my location now.Unlock privacy restrictions,access given to Roy Brandon,Angie Snow,Joseline Fisher,Kane Kyoung,Dakota Ricky and Frank Basto.I want all armors in the next 5 minutes."

[All Undamaged Armors.Model 6 to 14 Deployed.En route.]

"There's nowhere left to run!"A voice boomed.

Starlio's visors zoomed in to the source of the voice,The Chairman himself standing at the top of a truck,with hundreds of armed men all around him and his platoon of Ironblood soldiers,over ten of them armed with plasma weapons and behind them,dozens of tanks,military trucks and in the sky,several helicopters ready to engage in battle.

Starlio and Shannon looked at each other,holding hands to prepare themselves.

"You think going to my mother would change anything?!Just like Mason Stex,just like your mother,the Stex family bloodline ends today!"The Chairman demands as his men charged.

[Armors.Arrived.]

Shannon looked at the incoming enemies all looking towards the sky,seemingly stunned in awe as she drove her eyes towards the source of attention as well along with Starlio and their friends,all looking into the sky to see eight shadowy figures in the eye,each with glowing eyes of a multitude of colors,their silhouettes,extremely obvious and distinct in front of the evening sun.

"Wait...no way..."Roy's eyes opened in astonishment as the eight armors of Starlio Stex soared towards them.

Starlio watched his A.I allocate his armors to each of his friends,the armors themselves arranging their individual pieces to suit the user's physical stats and as Starlio watched,the armors began arranging themselves,bursting through the windows of the airport building and attaching themselves onto the teenagers,along with Dakota.

Roy Brandon:Model 11-[Thunderstorm.]

Angie Snow:Model 8-[Nitro]

Joseline Fisher:Model 14-[Frostfire]

Kane Kyoung:-Model 7-[Taser]

Frank Basto:Model 12-[Forge]

Dakota Ricky:Model 13-[Darksteel]

The remaining armors,the Model 6-[Scorch],the Model 9-[Shark] and the Model 10-[Shadow] went online into combat mode,operated by Starlio's shared A.I and now along with Shannon and 6 more armored allies,having pretty much several more times the amount of fighting capability they had before.

"Model 9,defend Javier Navarro.The rest of us..."Starlio turned to his friends before looking back at the incoming forces of the Chairman.

"Let's stop running and start fighting."

Final Chapter-The Rise of Starlio Stex