BOOOOOOMMMM!
The two energy streams collided with the force of a falling star that shook the underground bunker violently.
The impact sent electric shocks throughout Arthos bones, like an electrocution.
He barely felt it.
At that moment he was fueled by something far more primitive than anger and rage…something instinctual…something addictive.
Undeterred, Arthos continued to pour out his mana like a volcano awakening after an eternal slumber.
His attack overwhelmed the plasma cannon and shallowed it up like a mid-day snack becoming stronger and brighter.
Bright light filled the bunker as Arthos Dragon’s Breath bore through the War-Frames plating like a drill.
The armor folded inward like paper, crumbling under the intense pressure, heat, and power from Arthos’s attack.
As the bright light faded, the War-Frame collapsed in a plume of smoke, sparks, and fire.
Murai’s lips trembled as she watched with fear and something akin to awe at the massive crater left behind.
The dragon’s breath managed to drill through the machine, through the concrete wall, and through the solid rock…leaving a scorched crater in its wake, like a war scar after a brutal battle.
Arthos’ hands trembled not because of exhaustion or adrenaline…rather because of fear.
As his senses returned, he became keenly aware of what had taken place.
Never before had he surrendered himself to his bloodlust in battle.
The feeling of losing oneself in the heat of battle scared him…and excited him equally.
Sensing his internal conflict, Wain and Neva rushed to his side and hug him tight.
“You saved us…you saved me brother.
Thank you.” Wain said thankful.
“You did it!
You saved us all.” Neva whispered and she held him tight and kissed his cheek.
“Awesome job boss!” Robin said with a boy-like cheerfulness.
Arthos’ trembling hands steadied, his breath returned to normal, and the internal war beat dissipated.
Suddenly, he felt his body heavy and his knees started to buckle.
He wrapped his arms around his friends and used their strength to support himself.
“Thank you, guys…I…I umm…I sort of lost my head there.” Arthos mumbled weakly.
“Wait!
Your arm is not fully healed yet!” Hector cried out as Kristan forced her body to move toward Arthos.
She wrapped her right arm around him and held him tightly against her slender frame.
She said, “I’m ok brother…I’m ok…thank you.
You saved us.
Arthos eyes softened and clouded as he hugged her back.
The thought of losing her and Wain had overwhelmed his senses and drove him toward madness.
To see her standing was an unmeasurable relief that lightened his soul.
“If you are all done with the lovey-dovey stuff, we still have a mission to complete.” Murai complained loudly.
[…]
“So how are we supposed to open these giant metal doors?
I can try punching them down with my new arm.” Kristan said with a bight smile, feeling back to 100% thanks to Hector’s amazing healing ability.
“Wait!
I think there’s a biometric keypad on this wall.” Wain said as he astutely observed a narrow opening in the concrete wall.
“Trying to figure out who has authority to enter may take a while.” Neva said somewhat disappointed.
“Stand back.
I got this.” Murai said with confidence as she approached the biometric keypad.
She raised her right hand and hovered above the keypad for a moment.
[MIMICRY skill used by Murai]
[Mimicry skill allows user to change their mana signature for 60 seconds]
A faint light from the keypad turned from bright red to green accompanied by a series of clicking sound.
Air hissed as the magnetic locks and door pins rotated and opened.
Lights flickered on and off five or six times inside the control room behind the door, the lights settled illuminating the abandoned space.
“Handy as ever.” Percy said with a half-smile.
“Aww, you are going to make me cry.
Coming from you, that is high praise.” Murai replied with a playful tone.
“This place looks abandoned…like no one has been here in months.” Arthos said as the group walked into the control room.
The room itself was small and circular, tiered like an amphitheater with rows of computer equipment and consoles descending toward a center command pit.
Large LED screens lined the walls filled with maps, camera feeds, telemetry data, and encrypted communications windows.
The air in the room felt stuffy and old, like smelling the breath of an old computer.
“Get to work boys and girls.” Murai said as she commanded her ten remaining assassins.
They resembled worker ants, quietly and efficiently dismantling certain equipment while simultaneously conjuring from their inventory specialized equipment that they plugged into other equipment.
“What are you doing?” Arthos asked.
It was clear that Murai and her team had meticulously planned this stage of the operation.
This intel is a gold-mine.” She replied cooly.
Neva and Wain went straight to the command console in the center of the office.
Click, click, click
The two pressed on the keyboard in a mad frenzy as they unlocked the computer and accessed the files within.
“How did you bypass the firewall and access their files so quickly” Murai asked slightly impressed.
“They left the password written under the keyboard.” Neva answered with a chuckle.
It was ironic the bunker had state-of-the-art defenses and yet the commanding officer left his password in plain sight.
“Figures.” Hector said with a slight smile.
“Oh no!” Neva cried out frightened.
“What?
What’s wrong?” Arthos asked in a worried tone.
“It’s the blueprints to the model T-100.” Neva answered as she and Wain scrolled down the ocean of files.
Murai filled in by saying, “The Arden family made their fortune in Robotics, Robotic Implants, Artificial Organs, and Bio-robotics.
The army of soldiers we just fought are all based on the T-100 model the Arden family designed.”
“That’s how she knew to target the robots 16 inches below the chin.” Robin said as he pieced the puzzle together.
“Are you seeing this?” Wain asked Neva.
The two engaged in a mind-reading conversation that only they seemed to understand.
“Yes, scroll through the Dawn file.
Skip, skip, skip.
Stop.”
“Good catch…I see now…ok.”
“Skip, Stop.
Go back…oh I see…ok.
Go back to the Twilight file.”
“I want to the see the War-Frame file.”
“We can ask Murai to copy that file, and you can study it later…focus here.”
The spaghetti-like conversation continued for another five minutes.
Until the two stopped reading and looked at each other intently.
“What’s wrong?” Arthos asked.