1st Task: The Outside Counsel
The lull of midnight loomed over the bustling city like a blanket, but the unruly beast known as zone 27 never slept. During the day Zone 27 is where all the money is made and at night where the majority of the money is spent by the greedy corporate moguls and their favorite playground the black market, but after this night's events, I doubt Zone 27 will ever be the same.
As the digital clock on the bank read 12:02 am a loud crack could be heard across the city, followed by a massive power outage that covered the bustling city in complete darkness in an instant. As an eerie quiet falls over the city a low rumble can be heard.
In the darkness, no one notices the man that appears in the heart of the city with a bright yellow hard hat and bulky pants and boots. The man throws himself on the ground and grips the concrete until his fingertips are bloodied. He pounds his fist on the ground and a shock wave travels in every direction. A moment later the ground begins to quake, people scream in terror as buildings begin to shift and crumble. The man leaps to his feet and looks around at the chaos that the shockwave created. He looks back to his hands and a dark smile is etched across his face. He clenches his fist and punches the ground like before the earthquakes a few seconds later and in his immediate vicinity, the buildings collapse to the ground raining debris into the street.
The debris falls on the man, but instead of crushing him it surrounds him. The emergency response teams arrive on the scene to witness the man being encased by the debris from the buildings. The emergency professionals move quickly to evacuate anyone and everyone they could see. As the police engage the man with the hard hat the quakes stop. The cocoon bursts open sending rocks the size of small cars flying in all directions. Crushing anything in its way. A rounded rock hurls towards a small girl crying on the street alone. A bright light flashes and the round stone is cut in half and splits before hitting the small girl. A woman wrapped in black bandages wielding a wooden bokken stands in front of the girl, "Your epic destruction of this city has summoned The Outside Counsel, prepare yourself," the woman says, her orange eyes glistening and sharp.
"You're in my way!" The man shouts, he waves his arm in her direction and a wave of debris surges forward.
Another flash of light and everything stops, a tall thin man, with a clock mask appears beside the bandaged woman. He grabs her by the wrist and hurls her towards the man with the hard hat. As time begins again the tall man covers the crying girl with his body and the wave of debris crashes over him. The bandaged woman begins to spin in midair, the hard hat man barely dodges her attack by opening the ground beneath him and falling through.
"I've lost sight of the target," the bandaged woman shouts, "Where's Abraham with my cover?"
The emergency officials continue their evacuation to the best of their ability in the darkened city, the bandaged woman keeps low to the ground not moving a muscle but listening intently, there's a deep rumbling sound and she leaps from the ground. Jagged spikes of granite bursts from the ground as another flash of light explodes and
Instead of a verbal response, three gunshots ring out and the granite spikes crumble upon impact. Four more shots ring out and two toppling buildings are vaporized instantly. One more shot rings out and brilliant white light colors the night sky cascading the city in light.
"There's some light Mineko," says a man wearing a black cowboy hat, "This should give you plenty of blind spots to work with.
"Thank you, Abraham," Mineko says as the people of city scatter under the new light like roaches in every direction, toppling one another to get to safety. A warm orange light flashes and a woman appears in the sky, she lands lightly on her feet and begins to spin rhythmically, twirling her arms breaking out into a full out dance. As she dances her long white hair whips around majestically giving her dance a more mesmerizing appeal. She produces three golden orbs from her sleeve and begins to roll them over her body without releasing them into the air. She suddenly stops dancing and the three orbs begin to float around her, she makes a triangle with her hands and the orbs open a triangular window in front of her. Moments later a
small gray bunny appears from the window and as it tumbles into the city it looks up at the woman. She nods and the bunny begins to whistle, thousands of fluffy multicolored bunnies begin to pour from the window. The bunnies surge out into the city lifting the citizens from their feet, whisking them off to sleep instantly, and carrying them off to safety. The bunnies move as a coordinated swarm as it crashes through the crumbling city like a tidal wave. As the city is evacuated and the emergency professionals are transported by the million bunny swarm to safety, the man with the hard hat bursts from earth followed by a geyser of rocks that hurls into the sky. The rocks begin to fall back to the ground like a shower of meteors when a sudden flash of purple light explodes in the sky and a blur of red hair moves between the falling rocks and as the blur touches down the falling rocks burst in the sky showering the city a thick cloud of dust.
"Welcome to the fray Pearl," says Mineko over their secure line. The girl with bright red hair stands up wearing a gray cardigan, with a black skirt, black white and gray patterned stockings, and short black boots. Her warm vanilla face is dusted by cinnamon freckles that litter her forehead and cheeks. She smiles and is missing a tooth, "No problem Mineko," she says, "Where's Franc?"
"Right here!" says the tall man with the clock mask as he rises from the debris unscathed, more bunnies race past him snatching the small unconscious girl from his arms and continues, "Good job getting the people out Gris," Franc says
The woman that appeared in the sky doesn't respond instead she sucks her teeth.
"Let's finish this," Mineko says
"Agreed," Franc responds
The hard hat man stares at the assembled group before him, he chuckles and begins to speak a harsh language. He removes a pick ax with an emerald encrusted granite handle and tosses it on the ground next to him. Then he removes his belt with a ruby embedded in its buckle and tosses it behind him. He takes off his hard hat and tosses it in front of him and shouts, "I will lay waste to this city, you will not interfere with my joy. Rise my golems crush those who dare oppose your master Arlington Quag!"
Three golems merge with the items Arlington cast around him and each of them different in design but intimidating nonetheless. Gris raises her eyebrow, impressed by Arlington's summoning abilities, but scoffs as soon as she sees Pearl's red hair dash by. As always the tiny Pearl is the first to leap into battle, she approaches the first golem assembled from Arlington's belt and punches straight through it. The belt shatters and the pick ax golem roars and charges at her, it swings its massive bladed arms and Pearl deflects the attack with two daggers she removes from her boots. A shot rings out and the third golem is riddled with holes, the hard hat is split in two.
Arlington begins to speak in a rough language and the ground begins to shake again. Franc and Mineko both dash towards Arlington, he lifts his arms and two walls rise before them. With ease, they cut down the walls with their respective swords and continue to advance. Pearl continues to clash with the golem as Arlington tries to resurrect the others and impede Mineko and Franc's progress. He dashes the plan to bring the golem's back and instead uses the debris as projectiles to launch at his assailants. Mineko is surprised by the accuracy and sheer power of the boulders as she is forced backward as she cuts through one. Franc jabs the boulders with his sword slowing them down and cutting them to pieces before they return to normal speed and shatter.
Pearl finally gets the upper hand and knocks the behemoth golem off balance, she slams her shoulder into it, tackling it to the ground and crushing the handle of the pickaxe with her bare hands. The golem disassembles and breaks down beneath her. She stands on top of it triumphantly, Arlington roars and twists his arm and the golems bladed arm spins to life and in one quick motion Pearl's head is severed from her shoulders and her body crumbles. Everyone is caught off guard by the sudden murder of Pearl, both Mineko and Franc are shocked and caught off guard. Arlington points in their general direction while speaking in the harsh language and massive walls tear through the ground surrounding them closing them. A shot rings out and the walls forming around Franc and Mineko fall. Arlington is holding his stomach and looks down as blood pours from the wound, he opens his mouth to speak and blood spurts out instead. There is another shot and Arlington's head explodes. Mineko and Franc reach Pearl's body first, Mineko weeps on her knees before her fallen friend. Franc caresses her back as Gris approaches with Abraham, who removes his cowboy hat revealing his shaggy brown hair.
The group disappears from the city in a final flash of light. The citizens of Zone 27 that survived that fateful night had the greatest nights sleep that they had ever experienced when they woke up in a vast field miles away from the city they were needless to say confused.
As for the proclaimed Outside Counsel, the flash of light transported them, where is tricky to explain, but for now, let's refer to it as Outside. Mineko, Franc, Abraham, and Gris are teleported to an all white room.
"Welcome back," says a disembodied female voice, "You all successfully completed today's task. Your grades are as follows:
Franc: B-
Mineko: B
Grisel: A-
Abraham: A+Kill
Pearl: Terminated
As always you may view Pearl's 'Life' story in the library. Her replacement shall begin during your next mission. You may return to your quarters."
A door forms on the furthest wall, Grisel is the first to leave the room without so much as glance at the others never mind exchanging words.
Franc looks to his much smaller comrades and begins to sob like a baby, "Why? Why her? She was so young!"
"She was," Mineko says consoling her tall thin but, muscular friend, "We can view her 'LIFE' story if that would make you feel better."
"Mhm," Franc nods wiping one of the arms on his clock mask
"You two do that, I'm going to the range," Abraham says, "I've got to let off a few shots."
"Grieve how you must," Mineko says watching Abraham disappear around the corner.
