Enhance 2: Chapter 12

Now that they knew that the fountain wasn’t real breaking into it was a very different situation. After searching the inside of the fountain, they found a switch. It was a finger print reader but overwriting that was nothing for both Darren and Feint working together. Once it was flipped the bottom of the fountain rumbled and sank slowly down into a spiral stair case.

Phase took point leading them down the stairs one by one and Feint was at the rear. The walls were made of old stone and down here the air should have been stale but it was filtered properly from above. Despite the smell of stone, it was actually easy to breathe. Likewise, there were florescent lights above.

“It’s like a corperate dungeon down here,” Phase mumbled.

“You think they have kinky Fridays?” Yumi asked and Phase sighed heavily. “You know like casual Friday?”

“Yeah I got it Yu.”

She giggled, “You’re no fun leader.”

“I can sense a lot of people here now,” Echo said keeping a hand to her head. She used her hand almost like a dowsing rod as they walked the stairs and finally came to the bottom. “There’s at least twenty people. Probably more. I can’t guess it right now or hear exactly what they’re saying. There’s too many voices overlapping.”

“It’s fine Echo. That’s plenty to go off.”

At the bottom there was only one archway to walk down. Both went into long hallways that were well illuminated from the ceiling. They were decorated with wall mounted torches that provided no actual light. Doors interspaced between the torches but from their angle they couldn’t see if any were open or closed.

Phase looked toward it and touched his hand to the wall and nothing on his mask said anything was going on with it. “Hey Darren you got anything for us?” In response he got a strong static noise. He asked again but there was no noise. Looking back at everyone they shook their heads. “Great. I guess we’re on our own down here. Follow my lead.”

He led them down the hallway glancing at each door as they passed them. They were all closed tightly and all numbered with roman numerals, odds on one side and evens on the other all the way up to eight.

At the end of the hallway it opened up wide into a balcony that overlooked something that looked like a massive dining hall. Two flights of stairs on either side of the balcony went down to the dining room itself. It was complete with a long table down the center, rolling chairs set up properly and chandelier on the ceiling but everything else was plane. More so the idea of high class but not going the extra mile.

A bunch of the chairs were occupied by men and women in suits, some looking anxious, some annoyed but many eager. Each of them had two others standing behind them, their arms folded and looking at every entrance or exit. At the head of the table though was G. He looked exactly as Phase and Feint remembered him except some of his hair was gone. It had been styled properly but the missing patch was obvious.

“I’m glad that all of you were able to join me today,” he said looking out at the assorted business men and women. “Like myself, you have been spurned away by the family that we once called our own. Scapegoated so that they could remain in the shadows. Forced to struggle in obscurity. But no more. The Royals have been undone by their own hubris and now they’ve paved the way for us to rise.”

A muted clap echoed within the hall and G soaked it all in. Yumi looked back at everyone and shrugged her shoulders, “Is this guy for real?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Feint replied. “Delusional in every sense.”

Rogue grunted, “But delusional usually also means dangerous.”

“Now you all came to me on good faith. Your frustrations and anger begging to be heard. Well it has been heard by me. And to reward you for that leap of faith I will show you the catalyst that will shoot us into the top of the food chain in the city.”

An image appeared behind him on a projected screen. At least that’s what they thought until a video started playing. A man was sitting in a chair, wearing simple white clothes and staring straight ahead. He looked like a soldier having been told to sit and now awaiting the next ones.

“In the past year enhance had proved to be a very powerful drug. Both as a weapon but also to the Vanguard,” G said. “It turns out that a highly addictive drug with the low chance at powers is more than enough to circulate in these communities and become very profitable. Despite how much money enhance still brings in it is old. And unpredictable. It’s time for something new.”

A new man appeared in the projection and produced a syringe. He injected it into the man that was sitting before leaving the screen. The seated man’s eyes bulged slightly and he grunted shaking in the table. His teeth grit together and he shouted his voiced echoing in the small room. That shout turned into a scream and then that scream turned from one of pain to one of pleasure.

An unease washed over the group as the man slumped backwards and didn’t move at all. His body twitched a few different times but that was it. The image cut and G smirked as one of the suits, an older woman, asked “What was that?”

“That was Neo. We took the version that Royals worked on and perfected it. We made it more potent, more addictive, more powerful but took out any unfavorable elements.”

“Like what?” a younger black man asked.

“Well as you’ve seen in the past Enhance had a bad habit of giving some individuals abilities beyond an addiction. And even more rarely true abilities that can make people dangerous. The Royals sought to weaponize those talents but we believe that to be far too much of a risk. So instead we’ve eliminated that factor from the combination.”

The assembled group mumbled back and forth to one another but G had his hands together and was smiling at them all. “I know that news maybe surprising to you all but when creating neo we did not forsake the creation of enhance. After all you cannot flood the market with your premium product and expect everyone to jump to it. Some people refuse to evolve to something better and because of that we will provide that fix as well.”

“And you expect us to out and sell this ourselves,” another man said. “We’re business men and women Danny. Not some ethnic thugs on the streets. What if the Vanguard come after us?”

“The Vanguard will not be a problem. I have allies who will handle them. But beyond that I wouldn’t expect you to make these sales on your own. It’s not your arena,” G snapped his fingers. “Allow me to show you my enforcers”

The six of them heard several doors unlock in a chorus of noise behind them. They turned watching the doors in the hallway open up, smoke emanating from within. One by one shapes stepped out, six foot tall, wearing identical navy suits, red ties, and dark sun glasses. They were all the same shade of pale and the same shaved heads with dark sun glasses on their sharp and blocky features.

“What the hell are these guys?” Yumi asked taking a sharp step back.

“Were they always in there?” Shade asked and looked toward Echo.

Echo was shaking her head as she looked at each of them, “No. Even now I can’t read anything from them.”

“But they’re right there,” Yumi added and glanced over her shoulder. “Guys we may have another problem.”

“It seems like we have some invited guest,” the lights turned on them illuminating them like spot lights and their cover were very much blown. “The remnants of the former regime coming to roost amongst the successors.”

The personal guards of the meeting folk jumped to their feet at the sudden appearance of the six of them and their guards immediately moved to draw their guns but G raised his hand. “Relax. All is under control.”

“How did they get in here?” one of the attendees said. “You said that this meeting was secure.”

“Setbacks happen. But we are prepared for that. An escape is prepared for each of you while my enforces take care of them. You will hear from me soon.”

He snapped his fingers again and side doors opened up at the walls. They got up quickly and all rushed toward their own escape doors along with their guards. Before any of them could even try to stop it the twelve enforcers broke into a sprint and charged forward. They all scattered from the balcony as fast as they could, Rogue and Phase diving to the left and Shade and Yumi to the right.

Echo and Feint braced as one came toward them. Echo dodged around the fists of one as Feint stepped through him. He didn’t slow down and whirled around ready to attack Feint. She ducked but his fist slammed into her mask. The mask took the brunt but it still hurt. His next attack she caught and turned throwing him forward. Echo grabbed the front of his suit and rolled back throwing them over the railing as they both jumped with them.

The enforcers didn’t slow and actually jumped after them. Yumi landed on the ground and looked up watching one come at her like a boulder. Cartwheeling to the side she felt the ground rumble when he crashed down. Her eyes went wide behind the mask and she jumped backwards as he sped at her.

He swung at her and she blocked it but the weight behind the blow was so heavy that she stumbled backwards. Her arm throbbed like she’d been hit with a metal bat. The enforcer swung again and this time she just ducked under the blow. Jumping forward she clocked him in the forehead and she felt like she was punching a wall.

Shaking her hand out she jumped back as another jumped forward trying to grab her. Whipping off her gloves she ran forward and jumped off the fallen one and leaped at the first. Her hands glowed to life and she grabbed the head of one of them. The heat came to life and started to smoke at the side of their head and she braced herself for the smell of burning flesh.

Instead she got punched in the stomach and sent flying into the wall. Winded she climbed back to her feet as he silently came her way again. The place where she’d touched it was burned almost black but she had knocked the glasses off.  Staring back at her were two glowing red eyes and part of the skin had been burned off to reveal a metal skull.

“What the hell?” Yumi mumbled holding her chest and barely able to breathe.

The enforcer stumbled down to his knee falling to the side. He tried to turn but his head jerked to the side and then fell to the ground. Shade came into view and rushed over to Yumi’s side pulling her to her feet. “Thanks Shadeow.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” he said and watched as the enforcer turned his head around and got back onto his feet. If he was weird before they both could see the sparks flicker at the base of his neck and the glow of its eyes. “So, is this what I think it is?”

“Robots?” She asked raising her fists. “No idea.”

“Whatever they are, our powers aren’t working too well,” Phase said and they heard a crash through their masks. Phase rushed backwards as fragments of the chandelier rained down on him. The enforcer in front of him climbed out of the wreckage, the suit tore sharply in places revealing skin but it was oddly shaped and awkwardly bulging.

It sprinted at him and he jumped straight through it and the enforcer shuddered, jerked slightly and then whipped around punching him in the back. He stumbled forward coughing hard and retaliated with a swift kick but it didn’t faze the enforcer. It just reached for his leg but its arm went through him and he rolled back to safety.

Rogue teleported in front of the enforcer and wrapped his arm around it vanishing again. He appeared at the ceiling and let go. The limbs of the enforcer flailed back and forth before slamming into the table snapping it in half. Echo and Feint came down landing beside them as Rogue touched down. Shade and Yumi crossed over the table to join them.

“So you are the experiments that forced Pierce into hiding,” G said and narrowed his eyes pointing at Feint and Phase. “And you two are the ones that interrupted my deal with Dusk. Annoying thing that. Thankfully we were able to get back on the right foot.”

“You’re really trying to bring neo to the streets,” Yumi punched her fist into her palm. “Yeah not going to happen.”

“And you’re going to stop me?” he asked raising an eyebrow and laughed. The door behind him opened and he waved. The chair he sat in slid backwards quickly toward it. “I’d like to see that. Truly. But for now, I’ll leave you with my enforcers. Maybe we’ll see one another again. If you make it out that is.”

Rogue started to move, ready to teleport when another of the enforcers burst forward almost close lining him. He teleported backwards just out of range and landed near Echo. “We need to get out of here. Now.” she said quickly.

Yumi scowled, “What? Why?”

As she started to speaking of the enforcers rushed toward them. Yumi stepped forward with her glowing hands and shoved it backwards. Its chest caught fire as it stumbled backwards but once the flames died away she saw a large metal chest and beyond that was a blinking red light. “Holy shit it’s actually a robot.”

“And it’s going to explode,” Echo said quickly which got everyone’s immediate attention.

Shade’s eyes went wide, “How’d you learn that one?”

“Talk on the go,” Phase shouted. “Let’s move!”

Leaving the dining hall behind they jumped past the balcony and down the hallway. Nothing else was there to stop them and they could vaguely hear them charging after them. Looking over his shoulder Shade saw the enforcers enter the hallway. Reaching into his pouch he grabbed a few of the red spheres and got ready to throw them.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Echo said. “Some of them have bombs in them and an additional explosion could cause it to go off prematurely.”

He stopped mid throw and stumbled slightly, “Thanks for the heads up.”

“Mask get those stairs working!” Feint shouted as they arrived at the hole they’d come through. The fountain above their heads rumbled as the steps came down none too quickly. Not bothering to wait for them to come down all the way. Jumping to the wall they jumped off from their and climbed up the stairs.

As Feint got past the final stair she had her mask send a signal to stop the stairs and have them raise back up. They climbed back up to the first floor of the building, passing through the hologram water of the fountain. The last step just barely closed behind them in the fountain when the ground rumbled like a miniature earthquake.

It rumbled so heavily that they fell to their knees, watching the walls shake. Phase looked toward the ceiling and for a moment wondered if the chandelier would come crashing down. And then slowly the rumbling got stronger and stronger. The ground beneath the fountain started to crumble. A few chunks of it sank into the ground and the rumbling increased as the cracks in the fountain spread to the ground around them.

“Everyone up!” Phase shouted as they scrambled to their feet and ran. He stayed behind grabbing hands and pushing backs to get everyone.

Yumi stumbled and he caught her pushing her forward as he ran with her. “Thanks Phase.” Running as the ground literally started to disappear under their feet and the shaking continued but more intense.

They ran to the nearest wall they could and Shade got there first taking out one of his red orbs. Throwing it into the glass it exploded and they jumped out one by one rolling across the grass. Phase jumped forward and another explosion of fire hit at his back sending him flying forward. Hitting the ground hard, he lazed dazed but Feint and Yumi both grabbed his hands to get him to his feet.

Turning they watched as the building that they were just in moments ago began to shudder and finally it collapsed coming down on its self like a stack of cards. They retreated back to a nearby building, not stopping until they were on its roof to avoid the smoke and dust and debris that it kicked up.

Chest heaving, they looked at it and the destruction barely able to see through the dust cloud and barely able to hear anything from the ringing in their ears. And then it was just silence except for them and the loose car alarms that bleated and echoed in the night sky.

“Can anyone hear me? Come in team. Come on. Any of you guys,” Darren said suddenly over their headphones. “You all just got back on my radar.”

“We’re here Darren,” Phase said taking a moment to catch his breath. He looked and made sure that all six of them had gotten out and no lingering injuries. Ignoring the pain at his back he said, “In one piece somehow. You’re not going to believe what they’ve been getting up to. It’s a massive headache.”