Adam's thoughts raced as he gravely contemplated his next actions. In the dream or vision of the future he saw, the entirety of the Middle Ring was destroyed. Knowing this, he felt there was nowhere he could go that would prevent Lyra's death.
Unless, he travelled to another Ring. But the Stellar Bureau was located all the way in the Onyx sector. Could he really make it there, despite all the chaos?
But then, he saw Lyra's dead body in the middle of the street. Wouldn't that mean his current choice could put her in harm's way?
In his dream, the only other place that had been safe was…. His house!
Adam, though in a crazed state, had his brain working overtime. He carefully considered all possibilities as he proceeded out of the research institute with his sister in tow.
He held her hand tightly, not daring to let it go.
"Let's go to the house."
"Alright." Lyra didn't object. He seemed to know more about the current situation, so she could only let him lead the way.
As Adam ran, he wondered why his house had been untouched in the dream.
…
Every Overseer stared at the monster that loomed over them. Green slime fell to the ground from the gap that had once been the creature's eye.
They all remained alert, taking up various positions and awaiting instructions from the Marshalls.
At that moment, the giant alien creature twitched. Its abdomen writhed and contorted, before spitting out an object. As the "object" descended, they realised it was an oval-shaped pod. The pod smashed into the streets, boring a giant hole in the ground.
"Hold," Mathew said as he carefully proceeded forward. The other Marshall, Ijvesta, followed closely in his mech.
The oval-shaped pod suddenly cracked, and a nauseating black mist seeped out. It had a very foul stench, agitating those who made the blunder of inhaling it. Not the Marshalls though, as Mathew had immediately tapped the area below his ears– which resulted in the formation of a gas mask over his face. Ijvesta simply shut the glass cover of the mech's cockpit.
The pod before them bore more cracks, and in mere seconds, it split open.
After the blast mist had cleared considerably, a figure was revealed. It was a humanoid being coated in a disturbing black goo. It had no eyes or nose, only a mouth that extended to what would be the human's equivalent of a jaw.
As the goo dripped down its body, more features were revealed. Its chest bore strange patterns that ran throughout its arms. It was a slim creature, but with firm muscles.
Is this the main thing? Was that colossal octopus merely a shell? Or a mount? Mathew Bates mind raced as he thought of various possibilities. However, one thing was for certain. This thing, whatever it was, was hostile.
The sheer bloodlust oozing from this humanoid creature was enough to incapacitate a grown man.
At that moment, the alien-like creature turned to look at Mathew. Even though it had no eyes, Mathew felt goosebumps and irritation that stemmed from the deepest recesses of his being.
"Fire-" He was about to say when his eyes suddenly tracked three clawed-fingers aimed directly at his face.
Mathew acted purely on instinct, coupled with numerous years of training and the enhancements from the bionic suit he wore under the coat– his head forcibly jerked to the side, barely evading the claws that aimed to rip his face apart.
The humanoid alien had crossed a distance of about 50 metres in less than a single heartbeat.
Fast! Mathew Grit his teeth and pulled back, putting distance between them, and removing the gas mask at the same time.
"Fire!" He yelled immediately, and the sound of erupting cannons filled the entire street.
The various Overseer officers also aimed their Neon rifles and fired laser beams non-stop.
However, whatever they were firing at was gone!
In an instant, the alien appeared before one of the tanks and with a swift downward motion of its arm, it smashed the entire tank to bits. Giving the humans no time to react, it had rushed to another tank, equally tearing the robust machine apart.
"Well, I'll be damned!" Ijvesta immediately aimed the gravity vortex gun at the alien. Suddenly, he paused.
Dammit! He cursed beneath his breath. Using the gravity vortex gun in such a situation would be stupid. First, their adversary appeared to be way faster than the human eyes could perceive. Even Marshalls, with various enhancements, found it hard to follow the alien's movements.
It would simply evade the vortex before the suction force grew strong enough!
Second, the attack would cause more casualties on their side, as there were various Overseers standing around.
During this brief moment of thought, the alien creature had torn apart all 4 tanks in the vicinity. Then, it set its gaze on ijvesta. Specifically, the mech and the Human-sized gravity vortex gun.
Taking out the weapons that did more damage to the giant octopus-like creature? This bastard has intelligence! Ijvesta immediately clicked a button on the panel before him, and he was rapidly ejected from the cockpit.
Just as he did, the humanoid alien smashed into the mech, reducing it to nothing but scraps.
Every Overseer present on the battlefield trembled. The sheer strength of their adversary was beyond this world. Could they really hope to take down such a foe? If their artillery had been destroyed in seconds, what else could they possibly do?
At that moment, Mathew Bates' voice filled the entire street, "All Overseers are to retreat to a safe distance. All Marshalls shall step forward." As he spoke, he removed his hat, revealing bright blond hair that swayed in the chilling wind.
Slowly, he took off his coat. His entire upper body was covered in a slick black armor with engraved red lines that formed a web-like crack.
The alien looked at him, head cocked to the side, as though amused by the man's decision.
Mathew Bates continued, "Here, we shall kill this foe and cease the destruction." His current appearance was quite the strange sight. On his upper body was a fine piece of armor, whilst his lower body had a belt that held up brown pants.
He seemed like an advanced robot, but one that worked a white-collar job.
Ijvesta also had a similar armour, but his was of a blue colour. As the Overseers retreated, both Marshalls slowly circled around the humanoid alien.
Silence descended upon the street. It was the Calm before the storm.
..
Somewhere on the battlefield,
A concealed figure slowly approached the three combatants. It was a lady garbed in a full-set armour that stuck tight to her body. She held a blade in each hand, waiting for the right moment to strike.