Arc 13 Battle of Bronson City
Chapter 14 Interlude: Sinking Feeling
Medavac stirred, a sharp wincing pain radiating from his side. He shook his head looking down to find himself impaled on a spike. Pain surged as muscles tensed pulling himself up off of the metal. Hooks gripped, fighting back causing the wound to rip wide open gushing blood over the floor. The red flowed for a moment before his suit’s life support kicked in sealing itself with a medical foam. Freed from that he flopped to the side gazing up at the ceiling. The shaft was tall to say the least, even squinting he could not see the light of the opening above. However, it could have also been closed to prevent anyone from escaping back up.
Above rumbled. The firm steel and concrete walls vibrate from impacts of some kind. Medavac tapped at his helmet switching between visor filters until the flashlight built into the side of the hardened glass illuminated the dark surroundings. Thick metal spikes were spaced every three or so feet. They were too far spaced to kill effectively as such this trap was likely merely to wound and disorientate. Still, it was odd that the spike had penetrated his suit and skin. The tip of the spikes glistened in the light, clear like glass, they were diamond-tipped. Along the sides, they were barbed to tear and rip more flesh as one pulled off of them.
The one that he had landed the tip was fractured likely from the impact, shards of it lodged inside of the wound. Diamonds could cut through a lot of things, but they were very brittle to kinetic force. That was a rather devious trap since the shards would cause problems if not dealt with as they cut through flesh if one moved about causing internal bleeding and hemorrhaging not to mention if the smaller pieces got into the bloodstream to wreak havoc throughout the body. That being the case this trap was more insidious than it appeared. Knowing her it was likely coated with some chemical as well.
He closed his eyes for a moment coming to terms with what was likely a mortal wound if left untreated for too long. If it got him this bad then, hopefully, the others had faired better. He glanced about finding the rusted diving suit stabbed clear through the chest, a greenish-blue liquid oozing from it as Hydronic seemed to be having problems getting off of the spike. Medavac ignored the blob-like person knowing that they were fine. Armadillo had squashed several of the spikes, they couldn’t even get through his suit let alone his skin. Light Fly on the other hand was frail and would have been sliced through, had she landed on any of them, luckily she was safe and sound sitting atop Armadillo. He must have protected her.
A realization dawned on him, Retro Robo was nowhere to be seen. As though to point this fact out, above rumbled with some sort of explosion. From the sounds of things, someone was firing off a barrage of rockets. Dust and debris cascaded down the dark shaft. Would Retro be able to deal with Vesper, solo in a fight? Likely before, but not now. Not with how powerful she seemed to have become after getting bigger. She was going to need their help to subdue Vesper and quickly.
Medavac stood with a slight wobble grasping Hydronic to help pull the antiquated suit up off of the metallic pike, the barbs stuck and gripped fighting the suit until more of it tore and Hydronic stood upright, a clear hole through it revealing the undulating ooze that comprised the entity.
“You ok?” Medavac asked, patting the odd fellow on the shoulder.
There was a slight gurgle to the voice that replied, “Yes, most physical attacks do little to me as I simply spread around them. Are you ok? You appear to be injured.”
Medavac rolled his shoulder grunting, “I will live. Not the worse I been through. We need to go help Retro it sounds like she got isolated up there and is fighting Vesper. If anything happens to her mech we are going to lose Negation as well.”
Armadillo rose, gently setting Light Fly to the side. Giving her a dust-off, but she seemed to be in good shape overall. A bright light filled the room as an orb rose from Light Fly. Three floors up the roof was sealed shut well out of reach. The walls glistened with some sort of lubricant or oil to keep anyone from attempting to climb back up. The fall had not been as far down as Medavac had initially thought, though with those who were here power sets it might as well be in the sky.
Light Fly looked around the pit swinging the ball of light about where her metallic finger pointed. To their side, a corridor expanded. A long sterile hallway that had an angled slope descending deeper into the facility.
A look of understanding crossed her face, but it turned to unease as she spoke up, with a groan, “Ughh, this is the training dungeon.”
“Training dungeon?” asked Armadillo.
“Yes I got thrown through here once when I first arrived here. Luckily I was able to just fly and hover over most of it, but this place is filled with traps.”
“Do we have to be that worried?” asked Hydronic, “It is just a training course so can’t be that bad.”
“Every trap in here is lethal. Pit falls, flame throwers, acid vats, sharks with lasers attached to their heads. The usual for villains.” Sighed Light Fly.
“You got through it so it can’t be that bad.” Said Armadillo rather confidently.
“I told you I only got through it because I flew over everything and didn't set most of the traps off. To be honest I have no idea the extent of traps in here.”
Medavac cross his arms, thinking. The shaking above intensified with the sounds of heavy footfalls and large metal objects crashing into the walls and floor. “Well Light Fly, can you blow a hole in the roof and carry us up to help Retro?”
She shook her head sadly, revealing her synthetic arms, “Before I could have but Neon Nurse took my arms and replaced with with these. I can barely make this light. It is going to take a long time to get my offensive powers back, assuming I can at all.” She stared at the floor, “I might as well just be the fucking Fly now, it is all I am good for. I am sorry that I can’t help more even though you guys came all this way to rescue me.”
Armadillo smiled, “It is ok, I am just happy that you are alive.”
Something crossed Light Fly’s mind, “Oh speaking of alive. Some of the Heroes from L.A. are here as well, Nitro dragged them in with her. If we can we need to rescue them as well to help break out of here.”
This caught Armadillo’s attention, “There were survivors?”
She nodded, “Not too many but one of the L.A. captains, Mystral is here. Honestly I am rather thankful that I got captured by the Vespidian and Neon Nurse, rather than Nitro.”
Medavac winced, feeling the shards of diamond digging through his gut, “Why is that?”
“Nitro doesn’t have vat soldiers they are all former heroes. She forces them to join her Kraken squad by making them swallow an explosive made of her own blood that can be remotely detonated. After that they are upgraded with a super soldier serum, those that survive are trained further.”
Armadillo’s brow furrowed, “I am aware there have been many reports. Rescuing them will be difficult if not impossible if we cannot remove or disable the devices. We are not exactly equipped to deal with that, maybe Retro might be able to, but it is likely outside of her expertise. To be safe we should incapacitate any Kraken soldiers that we find rather than killing them.”
Above the shakes and rumbles intensified before everything became eerily quiet after something slammed down denting the roof above them.
“What are our options? Is there a way out through the training course?” Asked Medavac.
“There is, but it is at the very end. It will take a good bit of time to get through safely.”
“We don’t have time. From the sounds of things up there Retro is getting her ass handed to her.”
“I don’t think we will make it through the course in time to help her. Me flying through it took more than twenty minutes.” Said Light Fly holding her head.
“We don’t have much options here. We can’t just wait here and we can’t get back up from here so only way is forward.” Armadillo nodded.
To his words, everyone gazed at the cold colorless corridor before them. Light Fly knowing what was ahead was apprehensive, to say the least. She hung her head in defeat, “Ok since I have been through it I will lead the way.”
She hovered off of the ground floating in front of them. The corridor dipped, at a steady 35-degree angle. About a hundred yards or so ahead floor flattened out into a level area out of sight. It was empty of anything, not even vents. The only thing breaking the monotony was the panels symmetrically placed making up the corridor itself and the overhead lighting.
Light Fly paused, her hand raising to stop them. “Careful there are pressure plates, trip wires and laser sensors all through here.”
Medavac squinted seeing the ever-so-slight glint of the wire at ankle level just before them. “What happens if it gets triggered?”
“It varies. I am not entirely sure. Though basics would be giant saw blades, poison darts, pit traps.”
Undeterred Armadillo set off the trap walking through it as several saws emerged from the roof and floor. Their whirring spinning metal touched him before sputtering, crumpling, and shattering against his armor. These were low-level traps and posed no threat to him in the least. It was odd that one would think this sort of thing could even slow them down. Then again it was a training course likely for newly captured supers being turned into villains.
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He glanced over his shoulder, “What are you waiting for, we need to get moving.”
Light Fly hovered a bit behind him, pointing out the traps as Armadillo deliberately set them off. They hardly did anything to him. Lasers harmlessly bounding off his plated armor. Darts impotently crumpled as they either missed him or impacted against the walking tank’s armor.
About halfway down the corridor, Armadillo triggered a pressure plate. The whole room rumbled as something behind them crashed down. Their eyes turned to find the hallway blocked off by a large metal ball, it jarred from the impact and began to roll towards them. Medavac raised his shotgun loading in cryo rounds. He shot the floor walls and ceiling at roughly the same area causing large ice crystals to form. The ball seized to a stop before it could gain any real momentum. Stuck in the ice it was not a threat.
“Quick thinking,” Hydronic bubbled happily.
“The ice won’t last for-” Medavac started before something substantial crashed down beyond where the ball was.
The whole corridor shook from the impact. The heavy, steady rhythms of footsteps echoed, and a sense of unease gripped them. Best case scenario, Retro had beaten Vesper and broken her way in. Worst case Vesper had come in after them. Collectively they took cautious steps back edging away from where they had come from. The giant boulder of metal shifted, turning as it ground against the ice. With a shattering crack, it lurched forward. The slow roll jolted as something smashed into it again propelling it forward.
The boulder avalanched forward cascading towards them, bouncing off of the roof and floor as it rolled downhill towards them. Every couple of rotations a distinct mark could be seen marring the surface of the orb. A deep imprint that Armadillo knew all too well. It was Vespidian’s footprint the very same mark that had carved his suit. Two talons forward and one back.
Everyone knew what this meant. They needed to move fast. Hydronic surged out of its suit spilling onto the floor in a wave that carried all of them down the corridor like a slip-and-slide. All sorts of traps triggered rapidly as they slid. Saws missing their mark, acid scalding the liquid being as it writhed around them to protect them. Fire gushing out of holes in the wall. Pit falls gaping to swallow them whole only for Hydronic to crest over them a living wave. All the while the rolling, grating noise of the ball was closing in, and behind it the stomping of the monstrous wasp woman echoed through the deep, a hammer on their hearts.
They spilled onto the flat floor finding, no exit. No door to speak of. Light Fly shot up slamming into the vent above them. She reached back down to help Medavac up. He grasped her hand and nearly pulled her back down from how weak and light she was. Armadillo grabbed his legs, boosting him up into the enclosed shaft.
Hydronic shifted forming a set of stairs for Armadillo to ascend. The heavy metal man rushed up the steps forcing himself into that tight enclosed space. The crashing of the metal ball vibrated the vent as it slammed into the flat of the floor. It bounced thundering into place below them crushing, destroying the metal walls as it bulldozed through Hydronic squishing the slimy entity.
The green viscous liquid splattered all over dripping down the walls and oozing out from under and around the metal boulder. Hydronic was attempting to reform. The heavy, metal denting steps arrived. The wasp woman kicked the ball forcing it to slam through the wall below, rolling it a bit more, she stopped observing the liquids. There was no red to be seen, just that drooling green slime. There was a long pause as she seemed to be thinking something over.
Slowly, her tentacles wriggled their way into the vent, feeling about. They stayed still not making a noise. After a long moment, the tendrils retracted, and Light Fly let out a quiet sigh of relief. Suddenly Vesper’s head smashed up into the vent her predatory eyes glinting. Her white bone-like face alone was too big for the vent as it spilled over beyond the enclosed square corridor. Light Fly quickly clambered away followed by Medavac and Armadillo heading up the back. Her tentacles invaded the vent, grasping coiling and attempting to drag Armadillo back to her gaped mouth, her mandibles clacking as they bit through the metal. She was chewing her way towards them through the dammed vent.
His foot grazed her lips as she bit down, narrowly missing. Her many eyes shifted down, something below was gaining her attention. A look of uncertainty covered her face. She squinted at Armadillo her eyes moving back and forth between him and down to what was occurring outside of the vent.
Her mouth opened with a complaint that devolved into a gasping... moan? Her face twisted between enjoying it and being angry. “What do you think- OOoooh. What even are you? Get your tongue outa my- Oouuuhh oooh. Nobody has ever crawled up my ass before. Take me to dinner first. You naughty whatever you are.”
Light Fly didn’t bother waiting to see what that was about as she thumped and scuttled through the vent getting as much distance as quickly as possible. Armadillo slammed his foot into Vesper’s face causing her to reel back releasing him. The vent flexed and banged as they clambered away from her. The Vespidian’s face twisted in pain as she threw up a green slimy fluid that gushed out of her mouth and surged away from her. Hydronic bubbled and slid through the vent propelling them away from the wasp as she watched them for a long moment, her head descending out of view. They were unsure of what was more concerning, being confronted by her or not knowing where she was.
“What was that about, Hydronic?” asked Medavac.
“What?” replied the gurgling liquid person.
“That was a rather unorthodox move I would say.”
“Well when you are a liquid you can squeeze through just about anything.”
“So you went through her to escape?” Armadillo asked.
Hydronic bubbled a bit, “Oh I was trying to kill her. Unfortunately she is either immune to acid or has a high tolerance to it, that coupled with her regeneration means I can’t do shit to her. I was trying to melt her but she almost digested me. I might be able to smother her or drown her, but I don’t know she will probably try to eat me if I tried.”
Medavac did a double take, “You are basically made of acid when you want to be.”
Hydronic was a bit defensive, “Yeah, sure but what ever is going on in her stomach is terrifying. She can digest metal in seconds. I lost a quarter of my mass inside of her and I was barely in her.”
Light Fly seemed a bit concerned, “Do you do that often?”
“What?”
“You know, going into people.”
“Not often, it a bit of a last resort thing. Since it is gross being inside of some meat bag.”
The others nodded. Medavac didn’t want to think about the implications of that. There was a question that lingered but it was definitely better not to know if Hydronic tasted things that it melted down.
They were safe? Medavac wouldn’t put money on that bet. Knowing how strong she was that metal wall below them was little more than a deterrent. Soon enough the vent dead ended and they arrived in a large open room. Between them and the other side was a cyborg shark-infested lake-sized tank of water. To make matters worse the ceiling was on fire and the sharks all had lasers grafted onto their heads so that whatever it was that they were hunting got shot. They were further augmented by having propulsion systems attached to their fins making them exceedingly agile as they zipped and swooped through the water ravenously in search of food. Despite the fire above, oddly there was little smoke as it drafted up and out of the room which meant that the ventilation of this room was very good or else the oxygen would have all been consumed by now.
They stood at the edge of the water. It was far too big to jump and the sharks made it less than desirable to swim across. Thoughts of what deranged impulse made Neon Nurse make cyborg sharks rise as Medavac sighed. She was always eccentric, but this was all kinds of messed up. There wasn’t even any way to get across the water. No tight rope or bridge and with the ceiling on fire flying was not an option other than being about five feet above the water, well within range of the sharks.
“So how did you get across?” asked Medavac.
“I flew. Last time the ceiling wasn’t on fire.” Said Light Fly staring at the glow of the flames with apprehension.
They pondered on the predicament.
“I could be bait and lure the sharks in for us to kill.” Said Armadillo.
Medavac thought on it, rubbing his chin, the grizzled stubble scratching between his fingers. “That could work. Your thoughts Hydronic? You are the water specialist.”
The amorphous blob of goo formed two arms and shrugged, “It could work. I could turn the water to acid, but then water would be acid and that would be worse than the sharks if anybody fell in.”
“Couldn’t you absorb all that water.” Asked Light Fly.
Hydronic looked it over assessingly. “That is a lot of fucking water. I might be able to do it, but that is millions of gallons. That will take a while and we don’t have a while.”
Armadillo squinted, looking back and forth between Hydronic and the water. “You can take on shapes rather well, couldn’t you become a boat?”
Though Hydronic had no face to speak of it was evident that this surprised it. “I could actually. That could work.”
It looked out over the water, thinking it over. Behind them a loud, scraping, thudding noise rose. The scream of metal dying and bending. A smashing blow reverberated making the water ripple and the sharks jump in agitation as flames drizzled down fizzling on the surface. That sounded closer than any of them liked. The ripping, and tearing of metal resounded as the wall behind them dented out. Claws punctured the metal, gripping it so that they could rip it wide open.
Hydronic dove into the water bubbling back up to the surface as it formed a rowboat shape. Not needing any more encouragement all of them jumped into the see-through boat making it lurch. Below them Hydronic began to tread water, sucking it in and pushing out creating a jet propulsion system.
As they sped away the wall burst open, the metal ball soaring overhead and slamming into the flame apparatus above them. Flames gushed out spraying in every direction as the severed hoses snaked and spasmed wildly. A shark that lept from the water was incinerated leaving only the metal half plummeting back down, still operating without the organic half. The Vespidian shoulder slammed into view, her momentum carrying to the upraised tank. She tackled through it breaking the clear glass. The water began to surge out pulling them back in her direction as her head sunk under the water. The sharks circled, lasers scalding and zapping haphazardly as they breached the surface attacking Hydronic.
Their metal teeth gnashing at its sides taking mouthfuls of the slime being. Hydronic concentrated for a moment the water around them bubbled, turning a sickly green as several of the sharks jumped from its surface melting as they splashed back down sinking below. The surrounding water converted into a virulent acid.
Behind them, a pair of antennae had surfaced much like a shark fin as the large shadow swam towards them in scooping motions. The Vespidian followed in their wake. Her wings pushed her forward, the acid little more than a sting to that monster’s anatomy. It didn’t slow her down. It wasn’t working.
“Anybody have any bright ideas, I am all ears.” Said Armadillo.
Medavac searched through his storage belt. Inferno grenades, Cryo grenades, Electro grenades, and the corresponding ammo for his shotgun.
“Hydronic, how insulated are you?”
“Not entirely sure.”
“Guess we gonna find out.” Replied Medavac as he hurled an electro grenade just a little past where Vesper was.
It popped with a sizzling arcing of electricity. The water vibrated as the jolts of power surged through the liquid, dissipating after a moment. Bubbles rose as some of the sharks floated to the surface, fried. Odd that they were buoyant considering how much metal was on them. Each of them glowed and detonated the surrounding water evaporating and leaving pockets of air that were quickly filled in. Whirlpools formed making the formerly calm surface a hellscape between the flaming hoses spraying fire from above and the turbulent waters vortex all around.
With all the chaos, the Vespidian’s shadow had vanished. Behind them, the water erupted as she emerged. Wings spread, flapping as she rose into the flames above, ignoring them as she ignited. A wasp monster was problem enough, but now it was a flaming wasp monster that was swooping straight for them.
Light Fly shot out a massive beam of light blinding Vesper. The hulking wasp missed her mark, dive-bombing the water beside them. The liquid surged as though a depth charge had gone off. Hydronic rode the wave, propelling them away from the increasingly angry wasp.