Main Objective - Ac… Capture the angel. Name - Karulsh.
Time Limit - Two weeks.
Side Objective - Survive the clash.
"Are you kidding me? An angel?" Sana said.
"This is going to be amazing!" Kavya said.
What was that glitch? None of her teammates had noticed the delay in the objective. "Well, why do I care?"
"You should, Ira," Hemant said. "The angels are not the ones we've all heard about while growing up. They may appear divine, but they are evil."
She pursed her lips. "Now, do they?"
"Yes Ira," Sana said. "They look… good." She shook her head. "But not their soul."
"Ok, hurry now," Hemant said.
Thanks to her teammates connections, she didn't have to fight to gain a baaz. Or she would have been wounded like the person few baazs away from her, arguing with officials to cure her wounds, as she was still within the premise. Manya was ready to dash to the official if they would heal the person's wound to ask them for another SL. But they didn't.
"Come," Sana said.
Manya ascended the steps that led to the entrance of the baaz. She was hoping for a tractor beam. The air inside was refreshing for a second. Baaz had floating panels and see-through controls around. Only one seat in the entire aircraft, reserved for the pilot. She was fine with standing while travelling because she had done it before in the Delhi metro. However, an extra wouldn't be a bad idea.
Kavya hurried to the pilot seat, filled with the excitement of a child playing with a long-awaited toy. Others around her began pressing unfamiliar buttons, filling the space with a symphony of technical sounds. A baaz next to them took a swift flight outside the hangar; Manya made her way to Kavya and clutched her chair. The pilot's panel seemed more enjoyable compared to the others. Those options for sudden movements and thrust power sparkled her eyes.
They started ascending. Manya flinched at the sight of many baaz rushed past them. "They can't use weapons inside the facility," Hemant said.
As Kavya hit the throttle—Manya yanked on Kavya's hair with all her strength, causing Kavya to lose control of the angle. The baaz got caught in an endless cycle of spinning. Manya felt someone's hands on her waist—pulled her away. It was Hemant.
"At least, we won't be on their potential 'rivals' radar," he said. His gaze flared.
Manya looked away in embarrassment. In a matter of seconds, a headgear appeared over Kavya and they took off into the air. The view replaced her embarrassment with goosebumps. Hundreds of waterspouts on the water, withholding the intense battle between the baazs.
"Do they all have the same objective?" Manya said.
"No," Sana said. Hemant was occupied with controls. "But before exiting to the primary objectives, there's a side quest in which you can slow down or destroy your competitors."
"Wait—they want the unranked to kill each other? Why?"
Sana shook her head. "That's what fun about the clash. Nobody dies in it like the main objective. And it's optional."
A little competition before the big event. A few baazs soared into space, tearing up the clouds. She learned that the main objectives weren't limited to earth.
"They are here!" Kavya said.
"How many?" Hemant said.
"All the remained."
"Why us?"
"Not us," she hinted at Manya. "You know what's interesting." Kavya displayed the footage of the closest baaz. "Your girlfriend is leading them."
"Doesn't she know I am here?"
"She knows," Kavya smirked. "Who doesn't like a good competition?" All eyes were on Manya.
"Didn't know I had to use it this soon," he said.
"What?" Sana said.
"My charm. Show her who's the man." He moved towards the centre and got pulled to the roof.
Manya was relieved to see him smiling again. He appeared on a screen. Just as he found a spot to settle on the roof, a sudden attack on his legs sent him scrambling back inside within seconds.
Both Kavya and Sana acted to find something around him. "What?" he said.
"Where's the man?" they said.
Manya's lips curved upward.
***
Hemant and Sana moved to the weapons bay below the floor, to reply to Saanvi's leg-breaking gesture and her lackeys. Kavya had exceptional flying skills, despite it being Manya's first time on a futuristic jet.
"Isn't there some other gun here?" Manya said. Kavya didn't respond. A portion of the floor lifted to expose a compact gun concealed beneath it. "Thank you."
Its description became visible as soon as she touched it. Name–SM11. Used to create a slow field. Recharge Time–20s. Range–100 feet. Weight–187KG. Unable to store. Avoid using this model in zero gravity.
I am holding 190 KG object? She only went to the gym to mess with Ira using junk food. I was right. Exercising is a myth. We just don't have such technology. She walked towards the exit, and a small space opened like it was expecting her. It was big enough for her to aim at every baaz posing a threat to them.
A wide grin crept her face. Being curious, she moved her arm outside the space; a sudden sharp force hit her arm. She gritted her teeth as pain surged through her arm. With hesitation, she looked down at her wrist and took a gasp of relief to see it unharmed. It was a sniper bullet. If not for the SL, she would have lost her hand or arm. The source was unclear because they had already entered the swarm of waterspouts.
SL prevented her from feeling much pain, just manageable heaviness. Even inside the baaz, the scent of strong oceanic wind enveloped her.
"Yash, zoom in," she said, but no one responded. "Yash?"
"Ira, what's wrong?" Sana said.
"I can't zoom in on the one who shot me."
"You got hit?"
"Tell me how to zoom."
"Your SL is old, remember? Kavya!"
A screen appeared beside Manya. Revealing the roof of the baaz following them. A man was laid on the roof, surrounded by a metallic shield layer and had a sniper-like gun. To test sniper's attention, she threw out a protein bar from her sniper's nest. It turned into air in seconds, and the sniper bullet got absorbed by the layer concealing her. Before she could grab another food item, Kavya closed the storage.
She heard a low chuckle from behind. I have become a joke. Her gaze fell on the upcoming waterspout. She placed the gun right before the concealing layer; synchronised the shot with the waterspout and as it provided a second of cover—she pushed the gun outside the layer and squeezed the trigger. A medium-sized sphere emerged from the gun and struck the left side of Saanvi's baaz, making it unintentionally hit her allies. The overwhelming counterforce around pulled them inward. Don't they have layers to protect them? Yash did said that some things are restricted during test missions.
Those who avoided the surprise attack ascended towards their main objectives. And the one that suffered the most damage headed down to the ocean. Saanvi's scream stuck to the display right before she crashed into the ocean.
"That was amazing!" Manya jumped in excitement, sooner realised. "Sorry, Hemant."
"Run!" Kavya said.
When Manya turned, Hemant and Sana rushed past her and jumped out of the baaz.
"What?"
In one swift movement, Kavya snatched Manya and jumped off the baaz. Manya glimpsed hundreds of half-destroyed baaz headed towards theirs. Each of them launched missiles at them, which missed them narrowly. All baazs vanished the moment one at the centre collided. Like the others were just reflections.
Her teammates deployed their parachutes, which also provided a protective shield around themselves. The debris from the collision had turned into waves of particles descending to merge with others. Refreshing breeze of moist wind had wrapped her nose. She looked to her right, captivated by the waterspouts teasing the ocean. Approaching her at a rapid pace.
Tremor coursed through her. Soul was seconds away from leaving her. She pressed every area on her body for the parachute or anything that could prevent the fall. "Help me!!"
She felt a touch on her back and got relief from the turmoil. Hemant had grabbed her. He struggled to glide through the waterspout while carrying her. A glow emanated from the back of her hand. It appeared alluring and encouraged her to push it. The moment her fingers touched the glow, a parachute deployed from behind her back. "I found it!" she sighed. "Sorry for disturbing you." He didn't respond. Laughter echoed in her ears. She looked above and saw a text "Hemant" right next to a waterspout. "Hemant?" She had sent him flying hundreds of metres away. Turned him into a most cherished memory for the other two.
"Are you ok?" Manya said. He gave her a stern gaze. "Sorry."
"If not for the SL, I would have died!" he said. She couldn't resist laughing. "Stop it! Is all this a joke to you?"
"Losing a leader could affect our ranking, Manya," Sana said.
Kavya was furious. "That Saanvi, I'll kill her!"
"You could have left the shooting to us!" Hemant said.
"Why are you behaving like this? Blame your girlfriend, not me," Manya said.
"How are we supposed to reach the destination which is 963 km away safely without a baaz?"
"Can't you summon a boat or another one of these baaz? Isn't there some another way?"
"There is,"
"What—"
A baaz passed them, its shockwave sent their parachutes into wild swinging, causing a few spun out of control. The current of the waterspout had started pulling her into its swirl, widening the gap between her and her teammates. With a metallic sound, the hope surrounding her as a parachute—disappeared. Gasping for air, she glimpsed her teammates. They were ascending, without the aid of parachutes. And in a matter of second, they soared above the clouds.
"Guys!" she said. They didn't respond. "Help!" Before long, the waterspout caught her. The current lifted her high into the sky, above the layer of clouds wrapped with sunlight; a sight she always cherished during plane rides. But the gravity of her situation wasn't in the mood to support her desire. Before descending to the storm clouds, the figures of her teammates faded away. What left was their information displaying the increasing distance.
"You weren't skilled Ira," Hemant said. "I have seen your clip countless times, and you were just lucky to find the right gear at the right time."
"We can't carry a disability," Kavya said.
A notification appeared, stated. "You are no longer a part of the team, Sevians."
The data of the remaining unranked magnified. Team–13/33. And Solo, which was 1/1, turned to 2/2 and vanished; again, giving her a vision with no information.
She let out a chuckle. "Lucky?" The person she loved passed away in her arms. Her parents died in a plane crash. Her sole family member was taken away. She didn't even know if he's still alive or she was just marching towards a dead end. "They weren't even closer to me. Then why is this silly heart of mine is in pain?" Before descending away from the breathtaking field of clouds, she glanced at the top of the waterspouts. The top held a machine or technology. It appeared like a gloomy sphere. "That's how they are making these."