It was a quiet, peaceful night, out on the outskirts of one of the many port cities that lined the coast, just another calm night. Then, as the coast slipped into the deepest hours of twilight, from the port itself, came a train barreling out onto the tracks. The train was speeding, and it's perceived destination seemed to be a abandoned factory. On this very day, would be the beginning of a series of events, events that would shake and destroy the world's foundation.
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"Hey Mike, wake up."
That was the first thing Michael heard as his eyes started to open up, looking at the dim train car that he was in. As he looks down at his hands, seeing the usual charcoal gray marks on his palms. His gray hair brushed to the side as he turned to look up.
"Yeah, I'm up, Joseph." Michael says.
Joseph, his friend and squad-mate, stood beside him, next to the train door. They had met in initial training, and were put in the same unit. He had mildly tanned white skin, flowing, blond hair that went to his shoulders, similar to a mullet, and well worn aviator jacket on, with his actual military uniform lying below it. Below his jacket, was some blue jeans that leaned a bit more to a black color than any blue, with his weapon of choice, a revolver, hooked to the side of it.
"Man, you look like death. You're like, 21, and you already have grey hair?" Joseph joked.
Michael says, "I didn't choose my hair color, and why did you wake me up? We haven't made it to the target yet."
Joseph explained, "Roy had some oh-so important information to tell us, that he should have just told us back at our barracks instead."
After saying this, Joseph lamented, "Ugh, from what the briefing told us, this should be a job for the military, not a "Force of Lawbringers", feels a lot less like police duty and more like chores."
Michael asks, while listening to Joseph express his great dissatisfaction with the current situation, "It is our job, you know."
Joseph says, "Just as you didn't choose your hair color, I didn't originally want to be a cop. I would much rather be cooking a grand dish while listening to some traditional Leonese music off the radio."
As Joseph finished speaking, a voice rang out from the radio. "It isn't traditional, but I have quite the song to sing." It was Roy, who had joined their team later through training. He was more of a cooperative person, and was the glue in the team, in and out of combat. He was also the person who most questioned Michael and, especially Joseph's, "Plans" and usually was the strategist of the team. "Since I'm still resting from last mission, I'll just be giving information over the radio, and I'll come pick you both up after everything's all fine and dandy."
Roy says, "Anyways, here's the details. We got some organized crime hiding down in the factory. Wouldn't be a big deal, but they have some very high-tech weaponry, and we don't have the clearance to blow it up, especially with the tech in there. You're gonna have to take most of the out as non-lethally as you can, and retrieve the goods. I should be able to pick you all up from a helicopter, but in between now and then, you're on your own."
Joseph says, "So, per usual, us two have to do the jobs that would be done with large, vast forces, on our own. Good to know that I'm still the MVP."
Michael replied, ignoring Joseph, "Alright, we get the assignment."
Roy says, "Then, I hope to see you all soon." before leaving the radio channel.
Michael and Joseph activated their armor, and took out their respective weapons, with Michael having his military uniform on, it being a sharp navy blue hue. He also had a sword attached at his side, specially made to attune with mana.
Joseph told Michael, "Alright Magic Man, make sure not to overheat in your own flames."
Michael grinned, "Don't shoot yourself either."
The train slowed down. Michael pressed the palm of his hand on to the wall of the train. In a second, the mark on his hand grew a bright red, and the wall was instantly blown out onto the ground, with what seemed to be armed gangsters running out from the shadows of the factory. Michael and Joseph jumped off of the train, onto the ground below. There were several trucks at the stop, with cargo seemingly loaded in there, and a whole loading area around them.
The gangsters exclaimed, very unprofessionally asking them to leave. Michael and Joseph nodded at each other, before moving into action. The gangsters began to fire at them, and Michael struck the ground, with a wall of flames erupted, melting the bullets before they could impact. Joseph began loading special bullets, enchanted to be non-lethal and to focus on knocking the enemies out. He began firing the bullets, taking out a couple of the gangsters, while Michael rushed forward, hitting each gangster with one strong tap from the end of his sword, knocking them out. After a bit of mild resistance, the gangsters fell, leaving only Michael and Joseph. Michael and Joseph started breaching the facility, meeting light resistance from small groups of them. As Michael knocked out a gangster, Joseph was keeping track of the layout facility.
"We've already gathered quite a bit of the contraband, and if what I'm seeing is correct, we've about cleared out this place. How about I call Roy?" Joseph says.
"Sure, call him. We've knocked out about 40 people by now, I'd say there can't be that more in here." Michael replies.
Joseph sets up the radio, and says into it, "We're done here, the items and the people have been gathered up."
Roy asked, "Have you gotten the mech yet? It's a pretty key part."
Joseph asked, "What mech?"
Right after he concluded his sentence, from seemingly out of nowhere, a 40-foot tall mech slammed down through the ceiling. It had a railgun attachment on one of it's arms, and seemed fairly high-tech. Michael and Joseph grabbed the radio, and started running.
Michael says, "This is just what I needed..." before saying into the radio, "Does it have to be in one piece?"
Roy responds, "At least functional."
Joseph groaned, clearly wanting to destroy at least one thing. Joseph and Michael slid behind a machine, blocking the mech's line of sight with them as they thought.
Michael said, "I guess we'll have to take out the guy piloting it, aren't we."
Joseph asks, "I could run as a diversion as you went up to the chest, and cut it open."
Roy says, "Could be worse, but could be better. Go ahead, just make it workable. I'll be there in 5 minutes.
Joseph began running around the mech, shooting at it, with the bullets ricocheting off it's shell. Joseph knew that was gonna happen, but still feigned ignorance to make it look believable. The mech began slamming it's hands down, trying to crush Joseph. Michael started running up at it when it was focused on Joseph, leaping into the air, however, the mech's other arm slammed down on Michael, with Michael pushing his sword against it. As the sword clashed with the cold steel of the mech, sparks flew and landed on Michael. Michael used one good push to launch the arm off him, but just as he did, the arm holding Joseph had it's railgun activate, and it launched a six-foot rod directly at Michael, piercing into his shoulder. Michael knew he had to end this now, and grabbed the rod, and threw it back at the railgun, seemingly disabling it, before jumping up and slashing down on the chest, ripping it open. The internal chest cavity had some narrow catwalks, and steam flowing in the air, with the pilot in front of him, attached to the control system through a series of runes and wires.
Michael says, "Get out of the system."
The pilot would say, "Or what, you're gonna arrest me? The people I work for are way more threatening than any half-rate city cop, you all couldn't hurt a fly."
Michael heard a loud smash, and he turned to see Joseph in the grasp of the Mech, with Joseph struggling against the metal grip of the beast.
Michael says, "Let go of him."
The pilot responded, "No need to be so hasty, I'm sure we can negotiate, pal."
Michael says, "Sure, let's talk." Michael grabbed the pilot, and forcefully ripped him out of the system, before slamming his head on the ground. The pilot attempted to fight back, being able to get a quick stab in, but was quickly pinned to the ground.
The pilot said, "W-wait! I'm willing to go into cu-"
Said, before getting cut off from Michael's sword impaling him, the embers of his magic burning his internal organs. Michael slowly pulled his sword out, with blood shooting from the body as if it was a fountain. Joseph was dropped to the ground as the mech deactivated.
Joseph said, "Shit, I'm sorry, man. He just snuck up on me like that, I wasn't fast enough to respond."
There was a long silence.
Michael lamented, "I could have incenerated the entire machine with the snap of my fingertips, but I didn't do that because I wanted less casualties. Yet after all of that work, I still killed him."
Michael continues, after pausing for a bit, "I'm just like him, am I."
Joseph sighs, "If you want to know, you're nothing close to him. Last time I checked, you didn't annhialate cities."
Michael laughs, "Thanks, I needed that." As they nervously stood, they heard a helicopter land outside.
Joseph says, breaking the silence, "I'll go check on that, if you wouldn't mind, can you see if there's any more items in the mech?"
Michael replies, "Sure, I'll check."
Michael looked at the console of the mech, seeing a bunch of papers pertaining to random subjects, nothing that seemed particularly important. As he stood there, scanning the console, he felt a weakness in his chest, and he'd quickly fall. He looked down, and saw the wounds he had endured, which had seemingly gushed for quite a bit.
Michael groaned, "I'm gonna hear about this later, for sure." before quickly fainting.
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In a building, far away from the action, Samuel was crawling to the back of his room, terrified. Out from the darkness emerges two men with suits on, and one with a mask on like the doctors during the times of the Great Plague.
The man with the mask said, "I'm so, so, thoroughly disappointed! I gave you my trust, and your men can't even transport a couple little boxes of documents and guns? What a shame."
Samuel replied, "I didn't expect the police to be on my ass! You leaked the information, you backstabber!"
The man with the mask scoffed, "As if, your men should be able to handle two officers, how do you lose a fourty-versus-two? Incompetence, that's how."
Samuel begged, "Just let me make up for it, I swear!"
The man with the mask laughed, "Make up for it by providing me with the slightest bit of satisfaction."
Samuel screamed, that being the final sound he would ever make.