⚡️THUNDERFANG S2 #11

There was no time to think. Waiting until nightfall was not an option, not now. Before I could stop myself, I changed the suit's configuration back to the pitch-black Mimic coloring I used for sneaking around. And in another moment, I was inside the building.

Had Jane been shot? Was she bleeding out with every passing second? Probably not, considering her Branding. But maybe she was trying to keep it a secret. Regardless, the sooner I could rescue her, the better.

Knowing my luck, it was probably so much worse than I could have ever imagined.

Watt hovered close to the ground, his lights so dim it seemed like he was depowered. I crept low as well, blending in with the shadows.

The interior was deathly silent.

Hopefully Jane—or whoever was shot—was still alive and okay.

Dust and debris decorated the entrance. Hazmat suits sat atop hooks on the wall while more lay scattered about on the floor in front of what seemed to be a decontamination room. For a long moment, I stood motionless as I examined it all. That direction seemed as if it had been avoided for ages, so I did the same.

An open room on my right caught my attention. A quick check showed it was clear, so I crept inside for a better look.

Packed shelves with moldy boxes lined the walls and paper littered the ground and other surfaces. A thick layer of grime and dust coated it all like a rancid over-indulgence of powdered sugar.

I was on a mission, but could not ignore the set of strange circumstances before me. Juro Mihara had owned this company—perhaps he still did. If I considered this the beginnings of a conspiracy—what wasn't nowadays?—then it was no coincidence that he'd been with Dr. Hendrix. What were his plans? What were their plans together? Why had he been on—

Shiningstar.

Sitting at the very top of the old metal shelving units, a box labeled with the name of that dreadful generation ship stood out. I silently thanked my gut and set forth to retrieve it. I carefully placed a stool on the ground and reached high to retrieve the box as silently as possible.

The box wasn't too heavy, but it was filled with papers—Why papers?—and something else by the sound of the shifting it was making. Something small. It rattled about the box a bit as I secured my grip on it.

I stepped off the stool and—

The stool slipped from under me and crashed into the shelves.

Which then came crashing down with a thunderous collision of metal and cardboard.

Fuck.

A flash drive tumbled out of the box onto the floor, and papers scattered about. I froze. In the distance, movement. I dove onto the floor as I cursed my luck.

A saner me would have fled the scene immediately.

But there had to be something here that was important. All I needed was a few seconds. I hastily shuffled through all of the paperwork from the box.

I shoved the flash drive into my pocket for later as I furiously scanned documents. My nerves were—once again—in shambles and my heart was doing its best to escape my chest, the pounding like distant thunder in my ears. There had to be something, anything!

There. I gripped a sheet of paper and reread its contents twice. Something about using the Branded on Avam for tests.

Commotion nearby made me stand at attention. Everything would get the full scrutiny of my detective's eye in more detail later. For now, I shoved a few random papers into a compartment that Watt opened up for me and slunk out of the room as quickly and quietly as possible.

I instantly regretted not making sure everything was secured, as the second I stepped back into the hallway more things fell to the floor.

If they hadn't known where I was before, they would know exactly where I was now.

As I extended my staff, bracing myself for the cavalry within to deal with me, my wrist began to vibrate—thank the stars it was on vibrate. I didn't check to see who was trying to contact me. They would have to wait.

I was currently about to fight for my life.

Two people in non-descript clothing appeared down the hall. What little light the building or our lights provided glinted off the guns in their hands. Watt turned off his lights and slipped away to hide as I dealt with the people before me.

They opened fire without warning—though, technically, their presence was warning enough.

I was too slow to dodge them fully, but luckily my new Mimic suit absorbed the impact of their bullets.

I slid my way to a patch of deep, dark shadows as they continued to fire and approach.

Their bullets soared past. I held my breath, preparing to surprise them as they neared, and—

A loud POP! rang out as one of the bullets pierced the rusty hull of a nearby coolant tank I had figured inert. From it, a fog of some chemical sprayed forth and consumed the area.

Shit.

I couldn't risk sitting idle now that the fog obscured my assailants' locations. I stood, trying to pinpoint exactly where they could be. They had the advantage now.

I didn't have to wait long: they emerged from the fog, with me directly in their sights. They wasted no time in opening fire once more.

I spun my staff, hoping to knock a few of the bullets off of their path. Some found their marks, though. My suit could only take so much abuse, but it was better than being riddled with holes. I could deal with a little bruising.

Despite hating the circumstances, they were finally close enough that I could do actual damage to them. I pushed through the pain. Lightning coursed from within, my internal battery more than ready to let it all loose. It arced up my arm and through my fingers, through the suit's conductors on each hand, and into the staff. There was a crackle, followed by an electrically-charged assault on those before me.

In seconds, both of them found themselves knocked on their asses. They wore protective gear, but I could imagine the shock on their faces—and the one coursing through them still. Without further delay, I brought the staff down on one of their legs, hoping to debilitate them enough to proceed with my mission.

The man screamed in pain. I shot a glance to the other.

They had to know what was next, right?

The one with the good legs flinched and quickly scrambled to their feet, dragging the other along with them. They didn't go the way they came. Good. That meant they were no longer a threat to me.

I motioned for Watt to come out of hiding and continued forward.

Exosuits lined the walls and signs pointed towards some sort of production area. Unlike the area by the entrance, this one had seen some activity recently. Vague footprints, areas of disturbed dust, and an empty food wrapper served as proof.

Just what was Jura Mihara up to here? I couldn't place it. I didn't want to miss an obvious clue so I motioned for Watt to scan the room. I could dive into it all later, as well as any public records. That feeling of dread bubbled up inside.

What was going on?

"Watt?" I hadn't seen him fly around me, so I turned around.

He was floating slowly about twenty feet back, still trying to catch up.

Sparks flew from the bullet holes that riddled his body.

"WATT!"