Chapter 25: Chapter 25
The swift-moving train approached the disinfectant towers, drawing closer with every second. The low hum of the train was now joined by the high pitched, electric buzz of the pillars. Eric and Jimmy held on tightly to the roof, the split charger keeping them anchored against the furious wind.
"Eric! What’s the plan?" Jimmy yelled, his voice strained with worry.
"I’m thinking! Gimme a sec!" Eric yelled back, a bead of sweat crawling down his forehead.
"I don’t think we have much time!" Jimmy shouted, turning to face Eric.
"Yeah, I’m well aware Goddamnit!" Eric launched back, his face a mask of tense concentration.
Time was running out. Eric was in a state of high tension, his mind racing for a solution. Jimmy, seeing his friend’s struggle, knew he had to act. He turned his gaze to the approaching towers, desperately searching for anything that could save them.
The towers gave no sign of when their disinfectant state was active. The only thing noticeable was the loud, continuous buzzing sound of electricity running through them. As Jimmy focused on the pillars, he began to notice a pattern.
The feathers of the bird creature that had been vaporized were still gliding in the air for a moment before turning to dust. The same thing happened when a finger sized dust particle passed through the field. He watched the pattern repeat over and over.
He saw the towers activate and then deactivate, their powerful humming ceasing for a brief moment before starting again. A second, two, three...
"Six seconds!" Eric and Jimmy both yelled at the same time in perfect sync. The sudden, shared realization caused a weird reaction between them. They stared at each other, a mix of surprise and relief on their faces.
"Nice one, kid! Looks like we’re finally speaking the same bloody language for once." Eric said loudly, turning to face forward.
"Every activation takes a six second cooldown, we can use that, right?" Jimmy yelled, holding on tightly.
"Right, so now we know the bloody things don’t run non stop. Just need to find out how to slip in during their damn cooldown. ain’t gonna be easy" Eric yelled, his gaze heavily focused on the towers.
"You found a way yet?" Jimmy asked.
"Just before they kick in, we let go," Eric replied, turning to look at Jimmy.
"The wind’ll shove us back, giving us enough time to dodge the activation. Then we cross each bloody tower. Got that?"
Jimmy’s expression hardened. He understood the risks. He summoned all his courage and met Eric’s gaze with a prepared look.
"Alright, let’s do this. I’ve been through enough for today," Jimmy said with a determined frown.
A huge smile broke out on Eric’s face.
"Atta boy! You’re actually making this a bit of a laugh despite me nearly shitting myself here." Eric said, his voice loud and full of newfound confidence.
Within moments, they were just a few feet away from the first pair of towers.
"Yelena! No time to explain! Six seconds, that’s your movement!" Eric yelled as loud as he could, bracing himself.
"Five! Six! Now!" Eric yelled, giving the signal to jump as he released the magnetized charger. The wind pressure slammed into them, blowing them backward.
BZZZZT!
The tower activated, a powerful discharge of electricity incinerating the very top of Eric’s shoe. They missed the deadly field by mere inches. They tumbled and rolled aggressively, struggling to maintain their balance before using the charger again to grip the train, stopping them from being blown off completely.
The tower deactivated once more, and the train’s momentum carried them safely past it.
"Bloody hell!" Eric yelled, panting heavily. "You okay, kid?"
Jimmy, in pain from the intense collision, couldn’t speak. He gave a thumbs up in response.
Meanwhile, behind them, Yelena was engaged in a ferocious battle. Her breaths were steady despite the chaos. Her nanotech shimmered like molten chrome along her forearms, morphing into twin hook blades crackling with energy.
One of the creatures swung its hammer sized fist. Yelena ducked low, sliding beneath it, her blades slicing clean through the thick, scaly skin of its feet.
The beast roared and staggered.
A second Yagan came flying toward her before she could regain her balance, delivering a punch that could sink into thick titanium.
Her arm snapped into a high density shield just in time to block a devastating double fist attack that dented the steel beneath her.
The force of the impact sent her skidding backward, sparks emerging from beneath her boots. She knew she couldn’t hold off all three of them much longer. The buzzing hum of the tower grew louder.
Yelena glanced over her shield, her mind calculating. She took note of the same six second pattern.
"Make no mistake. Your death will be just as meaningless as your life," the alien in front of her spoke in his own language, pointing at her.
Behind her, one of the aliens lunged with a jagged energy spear. He wasn’t holding back, his goal was a killing blow.
"How annoying,"
Yelena said coldly, her face emotionless.
At the last second, she pounced away from the incoming strike. But out of nowhere, the third alien swiftly grabbed her, its arms snaking under hers with lightning speed. Before she could react, its huge fingers locked behind her neck in a crushing Full Nelson, pinning her tightly.
Seeing this, the alien in front approached with intense speed, aiming to deliver a killing blow to Yelena’s head.
In a desperate attempt to set herself free, thick, long spikes emerged from her back, piercing through the skin and bones of the alien pinning her.
The intense pain caused the alien to immediately let go, enabling Yelena to dodge the incoming blow. She kicked back hard on the chest of the alien in front, pushing him away with force while propelling her and the injured alien behind her backward.
BZZZZT!
The tower activated. The alien, still trying to regain his stance, barreled straight into the activation zone and was vaporized instantly.
The third alien holding a spear maneuvered away with force, holding onto the train with its claws and slicing into it, breaking through a window and enlarging the opening, barely missing the activation zone.
Yelena generated blades from her arms and gripped the train, tearing through the metal as she slid backward, landing in a crouch.
Without wasting time, she swiftly turned and threw a punch, but it was stopped halfway by the alien behind her, who held her fist tightly in his palms.
"Now you die," the alien roared, swinging back his other arm to deliver a swift and deadly hit.
BOOOOOM!
Body parts and blood splattered across the surroundings as Yelena generated an explosive cannon from her fist, blowing away a complete half of the alien’s body. The remaining half slowly went down and fell off the train.