*Several hours earlier.
As the thundering noise of a mad crowd broke the calm on the streets, Ulric gathered his strength and dragged his carbine onto a table, aiming it toward the door. The walls shook, and the ground trembled as the thousands of boots converged toward the apartment building. Despite the decent number of cultists among the gathered horde, most of KD-554's most devoted and most insane followers went hunting for Kadyn and her group instead, leaving people who were more desperate than insane to gather.
Though cultists blended with the average man, most had no malicious thoughts or desire for bloodshed; They simply wanted to secure a way out of this hellhole for either themselves or their families. Fathers, mothers, siblings, lovers, all gathered around with weapons in their hands, not in hatred, but in the hopes of getting out of this city alive. As some men spearheaded the charge into the building's main hall, others followed behind. By the time they reached the door leading to Ulric's hideout, a tough bodybuilder jabbed his crowbar into the cracks and began prying the door from its hinges.
A single clean explosion, followed by a streak of blue plasma passing through the air. The man was still thinking of his wife and two children at home, yet his strength was leaving his limbs. He breathed a little more, then fell back onto his back. He wasn't even aware that he had been shot, and he didn't care either. Yet, as much as he tried to deny reality, the catastrophic injuries left behind by the chimera round in his chest forced him to accept his fate. Just like that, he became another statistic in KD-554's game, forgotten even by the people around him as the next man immediately took his place in assaulting the door.
Another shot, and the next man's chest exploded in a massive splash of gore and bone, injuring many in proximity. Meanwhile, Ulric was crying in pain as the massive recoil of the carbine tore his ribs and injuries open. Outside, people screamed in desperation as they assaulted the door despite the deadly projectiles zipping through the wood. Inside, Ulric screamed in determination despite knowing he was fighting a losing battle.
What are humans in the cruel design of Fate? The thin wooden door held as the last barrier between humanity and savagery. Yet, was it truly savagery? The human will to survive, to overcome and to resist... KD-554 could not understand it, never! She was never human to begin with, so to her, these distinctions didn't matter. Yet, what choice do these people have when forced to partake in a game designed by Gods and blessed by untangible concepts?
Outside, below the crowd, a manhole cover suddenly slid open before a bundle of grenades was thrown out of the darkness. In a bright flash and a titanic rumble, a massive, gory gap was created amidst the horde of civilians. While confusion spread around the crowd, Ivanovich and his men leaped out of the tunnel and began to fire on anyone who stood in their way. Gangsters and criminals, all under Ivanovich, fought alongside their boss toward the apartment building with their guns blazing.
[Ivanovich] - "Boris, Vladimir, Ivan, move! "
Yelled Ivanovich as he pushed the man above him out of the manhole.
Though Ivanovich and about a dozen of his men managed to get into the apartment under the cover of the smoke and confusion, the rest of the men emerging from the ground soon came under return fire from the crowd. As one of the gangsters emerged, he was immediately gunned down by pistol fire. Ivanovich turned around, seeing how the rest of his men were pinned down and unable to join him.
[Ivanovich] - "Go home, boys! We got this! "
Yelled Ivanovich to his gang members.
Though the rest of the gangsters waiting below hesitated to abandon their boss, they nonetheless began to make a retreat as the horde of civilians began counter-attacking them. Meanwhile, after gunning down the group assaulting the door to Ulric's hideout, the gang members found themselves in front of a broken frame that barely resembled a door.
[Ivanovich] - "Kid! Kid, are you Ulric? "
Yelled Ivanovich as he pushed through his men.
There was silence inside the room before a bolt of blue plasma shot through the air, missing Ivanovich and his men by inches. As the panicking men quickly aimed their weapons at the door, Ivanovich nervously leaned toward the wall.
[Ivanovich] - "Kid, we're on your side! Your friend McCree sent us to help you! "
Yelled Ivanovich while signalling for his men to lower their weapons.
[Ulric] - "How can I trust you? "
Screamed Ulric with laboured breaths.
[Ivanovich] - "Kid, don't be stupid now! What other choice do you have? Come on, I swear on my old mother's head, we mean you no harm! "
Ulric hesitated, his hands trembling and his body weak with exhaustion and stress. With gritted teeth, Ulric closed his eyes before letting his finger slip off the carbine's trigger. As Ulric dropped to the ground, Ivanovich and his men quickly rushed into the room. As the last gangster fired a few shots at the pursuers behind, he leaped into the room before two other men blocked the entrance using whatever furniture they could find.
[Boris] - "Boss, we're kinda short on ammunition. "
Said Boris while switching the magazine from his rifle.
[Ivanovich] - "Huh? What about Tomislav? I thought he carried a lot of clips with him. "
[Ivan] - "Tomislav got shot in the leg. I couldn't pull him to safety in time, so I only grabbed a few of the mags he had under his coat. "
Said Ivan while taking a few breaths against the wall.
[Ivanovich] - "How much ammo and men do we have? "
[Romanovich] - "Fourteen, boss, and about three mags left per guy. If it will make you feel better, Ivan got another four mags from Tomislav before the poor bastard died. "
[Ivan] - "Watch your fucking mouth! He was a good kid. "
Cursed Ivan without turning toward Romanovich.
During this time, Vladimir took Ulric to the living room, where he sat him on the couch before ripping away his shirt to reveal a gunshot wound. As Vladimir pressed down on Ulric's chest, he was surprised when the young man let out a blood-curdling scream. Then, Vladimir found to his shock, a chest nearly soft to the touch as most of the ribs had shattered. What he thought was a bullet wound was actually a bone piece that had punctured Ulric's skin.
[Vladimir] - "By the Angel! What the fuck happened to this kid? "
Cursed Vladimir, while his face went pale.
Ivanovich quickly rushed into the room and knelt beside Vladimir to inspect Ulric's wounds.
[Ivanovich] - "I had some training back in medical school. Go join the others, I'll handle this. "
Said Ivanovich as he rolled up his sleeves.
As Vladimir stood up, he immediately heard the sound of gunfire restarting by the barricaded entrance. Grabbing his weapon, Vladimir quickly joined his comrades in the gunfight.
[Ivanovich] - "Hold on, kid. You're gonna be alright. "
Whispered Ivanovich as he poured some disinfectant onto his hands.
Ulric coughed hard before a splash of blood shot onto Ivanovich's face. Unbothered, Ivanovich quickly cleared his vision with his sleeve before pulling a small medical kit out of his fancy suit. However, upon seeing the state Ulric was in, Ivanovich almost threw away the medkit in frustration as it obviously contained nothing of use for this level of injury.
[Ivanovich] - "Fuck... "
Said Ivanovich before looking Ulric in the eyes with a pitiful gaze.
Meanwhile, alerted by the noise, Ella finally stepped out of her room and cautiously peeked into the living room. Upon seeing her brother in such a state, Ella quickly rushed to his side with tears in her eyes.
[Ella] - "Ulric! Ulric, please! God! What happened to you? "
Screamed Ella as she dropped to her knees beside Ulric.
[Ivanovich] - "Hey! Careful! One wrong move and you'll puncture his lungs. "
Yelled Ivanovich as he aggressively pushed Ella's hand away.
Though Ella had so many questions, she decided to stay quiet and let the stranger work on Ulric's wounds. With gauze in his hand, Ivanovich tried to patch the rib pocking out of Ulric's skin, but couldn't find a way to apply it without pressing on his chest. Then, as Ivanovich switched to using some alcohol to disinfect the wound, Ulric could only make weak moans as he was now too weak to even scream in pain.
[Ella] - "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry for not being there when you needed me! "
Cried Ella as regret now filled her heart.
After searching through his pockets, Ivanovich tried desperately to find at least something of use in this situation. However, all he found was a small pouch of fentanyl crystals.
[Ivanovich] - "Fuck... I guess... "
Ivanovich poured the crystals onto a plate before delicately trying to gather a dose that would not end up killing Ulric.
[Ivanovich] - "At least this will ease the pain. There's nothing much I can do for you, boy. I'm sorry! "
However, as Ivanovich looked up at Ulric, the young man gently shook his head at the proposal, preferring to bear the agony instead. Reluctantly, Ivanovich pushed away the plate and got up with an understanding look in his eyes.
[Ivanovich] - "I get it, kid. If you need anything, let me know. "
At the door, as wave after wave of attackers were pushed back, a tall and muscular man stepped in front of the civilian horde and fired his rifle in the air to get everyone's attention.
[Xavier] - "Stop! Stop going in there mindlessly! We need a strategy if we want to have a chance to secure what the beast in that tower wanted! "
Yelled Xavier in a commanding voice.
As a man in the crowd ignored Xavier's words and charged past him, he turned around and shot the man dead without hesitation.
[Xavier] - "Listen to me! I've got a pregnant wife at home as well! I want to live as much as you do. So listen! I'm a US Marine on leave when all this shit hit the fan, so you maggot will listen to me, and we can all go home safely! Do we have a deal? "
Yelled Xavier at the top of his lungs.
As glances were shared between the people in the crowd, most of the gazes fell back on him, and most heads nodded in agreement.
[Xavier] - "Good! You all made the right choice! Now, listen up, we need to come up with a plan. "
Said Xavier as he stepped amidst the crowd.
In the apartment room, Ivan dragged away Boris's dead body while Romanovich helped Vladimir stop the bleeding in his arm.
[Ivan] - "Fucking hell! Why do you think they stopped? "
Said Ivan in disgust as he shook off Ivan's blood on his hands.
[Vladimir] - "Who knows... Maybe we killed enough of them to knock some sense of survival into their heads. "
[Romanovich] - "Who cares! Why did we even agree to fucking give our lives here? We could've just taken what they were looking for and granted ourselves safety instead. "
Cursed Romanovich in frustration.
[Ivan] - "Because we are different. We have our faith in an Angel that can rival whatever godly forces that control this madness. "
Said Ivan as he made a gesture of prayer before going back to working on his jammed rifle.
[Romanovich] - "Pst! Ivanovich and his mad beliefs... I don't buy it... "
Mocked Romanovich in a bitter tone.
[Ivan] - "It's clear that evil Gods exist. So what other choice is there for us, mortals, but to pray to the good Gods? Would you rather go join the bastards outside and worship their dark Gods like a fucking heretic? "
Said Ivan as his hand discreetly reached for his hidden pistol.
Romanovich thought for a second before lowering his head in resignation.
[Romanovich] - "Can you pray for this good God of yours to protect my wife and children if I ever fucking croaks? "
Said Romanovich with a side glance at Ivan.
[Ivan] - "I will. But remember, in such situations, faith is our only ally. "
Said Ivan as he relaxed his hand and joined Romanovich.
Meanwhile, inside the living room, both Ivanovich and Ella could only care for Ulric and make his probably last hours bearable. Yet, as Ella approached Ulric with a cup of water, her trembling hands suddenly made her drop the cup. As her lips curled up, Ella dropped to her knees and began sobbing loudly on the ground, her eyes hidden behind her palms to protect her from the sight of her mangled brother.
[Ella] - "Why did I let my emotions get the better of me? Why couldn't I just help you when you were there fighting alone? "
Cried Ella as he banged her head against the kitchen counter.
Though Ivanovich didn't feel like caring about Ella's sorrow, her repeated words of regret stirred something within his heart. With how Seratov had betrayed him, Ivanovich understood the pain of betrayal on a personal level. However, what intrigued him was the sight of regret and guilt after said betrayal.
[Ivanovich] - "Kid, I want to ask you something. "
Said Ivanovich as he tapped on Ella's back.
As Ella slowly crawled to a chair and sat face-to-face with Ivanovich, he leaned in and looked her in the eyes with pity and curiosity.
[Ivanovich] - "Tell me, kid, why did you let your brother fight by himself? "
Accused Ivanovich in a calm voice, shadowed by anger.
[Ella] - "I... I was lost... We have lost everything... Our home, our family and... Hope. I figured there was no point in resisting something we can't win against. So while he still believed, I chose defeat. "
Said Ella while still sobbing between words.
Yet, after hearing Ella's story, Ivanovich didn't feel anger, but empathy instead. She did not let Ulric fight by himself because she was selfish, but because she had been broken.
[Ivanovich] - "There are moments I also feel hopeless and lost. Yet, I found hope where there was supposed to be none. An invisible ally that will not betray you and give you strength when you need it most. "
Ella slowly raised her head and saw Ivanovich look up toward the sky with hope in his eyes.
[Ella] - "I do not understand... "
[Ivanovich] - "Faith! When I was betrayed by my close brother Seratov, I thought I had nothing left. He had an Angel by his side, and I had nothing. Yet, through my faith in justice and the divine, an Angel of my own descended to vindicate me. Faith is the weapon of mortals against evil Gods. Faith is the hope you can rely on when all is lost. Faith is the only anchor to reality when you exist in an absurd world. "
Said Ivanovich before clasping his hands together in prayer.
[Ella] - "Faith toward what? There is no good God to save us... If such a God existed, my brother would've never become like this. "
[Ivanovich] - "That's because you lacked faith. If you had believed from the start, you would've never fallen prey to the darkness of nihilism or left your brother to fight alone. He had faith, so he fought, even when nothing mattered. Because he fought, you are still alive, and the target those people came for is still safe. His faith protected you and allowed us enough time to arrive and save you both. "
Said Ivanovich while pointing accusingly at Ella.
Ella digested Ivanovich's words while her eyes drifted to her dying brother on the couch. For a moment, she remembered how the Spartan Marines prayed to Athena and how even those who were not religious believed in something greater than themselves. Kadyn's friends came to the city willingly to fight by her side, while Kadyn herself fought not just to save herself, but the city as a whole against impossible odds. While everyone, including those who had it worse than her, stood, what reason did she have to not rise?
[Ella] - "I have already failed... "
Whispered Ella as she closed her eyes in defeat.
[Ivanovich] - "Failure is when you lack faith. If you could still believe, then there could be a victory, even in failure. Will you admit defeat when your brother never did? "
Said Ivanovich as he pulled his book about worship of the angels out of his pocket.
Ella's gaze lowered toward the book as her hands instinctively reached for it. As Ella's hands held the book tightly, Ivanovich let out a proud smile before letting it go.
[Ivanovich] - "This is my work, my idea of Gods and faith. It is still incomplete because I lack the knowledge to finish it. If my guardian angel, McCree, told me to protect you two, that means destiny has chosen you and your brother. I pass you the duty of carrying on the faith and inspiring others. Can you do this for me? "
Ella nodded gently, her gaze fixated on the cover of the book, which was decorated with the golden crest of the cyberknights.
[Ella] - "I shall carry on the faith. I will never hide again; I will stand with those who believe. "
Said Ella with determination.
Suddenly, gunfire started once again as the crowd, under Xavier's leadership, formed a coherent assault force. After moving the dead bodies and creating a clear path, civilians armed with pistols and rifles began to storm the cramped hallways leading to the basement. Before long, Ivan watched as another one of his fellow gang members was killed with a swift shot through the heart.
As the attackers formed a proper line of gunmen, all lined up to fire, they charged with multiple men providing suppressive fire, while some moved closer toward the room. After securing a corner situated in a blind spot of the gangsters, the few men surprised Ivan and his men with a few unexpected shots. As the dust cleared, Ivan noticed how only he, Romanovich and Vladimir were left alive.
[Ivanovich] - "Pull back! Get into the living room! "
Ordered Ivanovich as he took his rifle and covered his men's retreat.
While Ivanovich fired into the hallway, killing two men, Ivan and his friends pushed a couch and the fridge in front of the entrance to the living room. After setting the rudimentary barricade, Ivanovich and Ivan took cover behind the kitchen counter while Vladimir and Romanovich took position behind a wall.
[Ivanovich] - "Kid, take your brother to the bedrooms, it's going to get messy here! "
Said Ivanovich as he nudged his rifle toward the bedroom doors.
With a nod, Ella stashed her divine book in her pants before carrying her brother away using all her strength. Just as Ella disappeared out of sight, a burst of automatic rifle fire riddled the walls with holes while two men moved in under the suppressive fire. As Vladimir tried to return fire, he was quickly gunned down by a fourth man peeking from the hallway.
As ceramic and glass exploded all over the counter, Ivanovich and Ivan struggled to find an opening to fight back. As Ivan peeked around a corner, he met eyes with Romanovich, who gave him a stare that hinted at their promise earlier. Without hesitation, Romanovich leaped out of cover, taking multiple shots to his body while firing back, killing the enemy with the automatic rifle. Using this opportunity, Ivan and Ivanovich fired at the attackers, killing the two other gunmen before a shot from the fourth man drove them back into cover.
While Ivanovich reloaded his gun, as promised, Ivan prayed for the safety of Romanovich's family with a short chant and a nod.
[Ivanovich] - "Shit! I'm at my last clip. "
Cursed Ivanovich as he padded his waist for more ammunition.
[Ivan] - "Vladimir and Romanovich still have some left in their rifle. "
[Ivanovich] - "It's too dangerous! We can't leap out like this! "
[Ivan] - "We have to try! "
As Ivan peeked over the counter, a bullet zipped past his face, missing him by an inch. However, Ivan fired back without hesitation, taking out another attacker with a burst. Yet, as another two peeked around the corner, Ivan aimed at them, but suddenly ran out of bullets. While his gun stayed silent, the two gunmen each scored a hit on his chest, dropping him back down behind the counter.
Enraged by the sight of Ivan being wounded, Ivanovich stood up and blasted the two gunmen with everything he had, causing them to retreat. Yet, as Ivanovich dove back down, he was frustrated with an empty gun between his hands. Suddenly, Ivan handed Ivanovich his hidden pistol, his arm shaking as he handed his boss his gun.
[Ivan] - "Boss... Here's what I have. May the angels bless our souls... "
Said Ivan in a faint voice.
As Ivanovich took the gun from Ivan's hand, the gangster's arm collapsed as the life slowly disappeared from his eyes. Though Ivanovich wanted to mourn his dead subordinate, his grief was quickly broken by another bout of gunfire. Pulling out his own pistol, Ivanovich dual-wielded his weapons before surprising the assailants with a leap. Before either of the two gunmen could fire, Ivanovich took them out with two precise shots.
With more noise coming from the hallway, Ivanovich had no choice but to fall back further into the bedroom. As Ivanovich closed the door behind him, he took one last glance at his dead subordinates. It was more than just losing a few loyal henchmen, but the end of his criminal empire as a whole, even if the city gets liberated. Yet, even with a sting in his heart, Ivanovich felt no regret, only sadness toward those who loyally followed him to their death.
Outside, meanwhile, Michalis's group arrived at the edge of the crowd assaulting the apartment. At first, as the Marines and Dane crossed the field of tents and campfires made by the civilian horde, there was no hostility, only confusion and curiosity. Yet, as the Marines tried to pass through the more heavily armed circle of men waiting to storm into the building, their way soon became blocked by confrontational men and women.
[man] - "Woah! Woah! Who are you people? Are you here to help us or what? "
Screamed the man as he stood in Michalis's way.
[Michalis] - "We are not here to help you, but we will not harm you either if you do not interrupt us. "
Said Michalis as he stopped in front of the man.
[man] - "Boss! We've got some troublemakers here. "
Called the man to Xavier from afar.
At the same time, KD-554 sat before a big screen while her servants brought her premium wines. From what she saw earlier with Voss and Nilsson against the cultists, she was expecting another entertaining massacre. As she swirled her wine, Astroboy joined her inside the cinema room, violently pushing away the servant as she blocked his path.
[KD-554] - "Took you long enough. I didn't see much bloodshed from you tonight. "
Remarked KD-554 as she sipped on her wine.
[Astroboy] - "I had some personal business. "
Said Astroboy coldly as he tried to sit beside KD-554.
Despite the couch's length and size, KD-554 callously took as much space as possible without a care for Astroboy, forcing him to sit in the corner with his legs closed. The muscle on Astroboy's face twitched in the face of such humiliation, but he remained silent and stoic as KD-554 glanced at him.
[KD-554] - "I should capture a few Imperial Marines and build an arena where I send in thousands of people to fight them. Oh, think about how great that would be. "
Said KD-554 before spitting out the wine in her mouth.
[Astroboy] - "Another useless proposition. "
KD-554 rolled her eyes at Astroboy's comment.
[KD-554] - "You are so not fun! If I had a body, imagine, I could've charmed the Grand Knight instead of my worthless, rotting filth of a WHORE SISTER! Ugh! He would've been funny, ruthless and absolutely much stronger compared to you. "
Mocked KD-554 maliciously with a cruel gin.
Though Astroboy knew KD-554 was ragebaiting him, even his best stoic expression couldn't conceal the slight twitch of anger in his right eye.
[Astroboy] - "If you love gore so much, why don't you focus on the fucking screen instead. "
Said Astroboy while grinding his teeth in rage.
[KD-554] - "You're right. That is way more entertaining than your ugly egghead. "
Said KD-554 with a smirk.
On the screen, Xavier, alongside a few of his men, approached the Marines by pushing through the crowd. With a grin, KD-554 drank from her cup once more, savouring the aroma of the crimson liquid on her tongue.
To be continued...