Flare bent back at the very last moment to evade the pale man’s blade, feeling the subtle air blown by it caress the tip of her nose. It missed her flesh entirely, instead cutting a few strands of her flowing hair. Continuing with the motion, Flare placed her hands on the floor then chained several backflips to gain some distance.
Her fists were already coated in incandescent orange, that’s why when the pale man rushed after her intending to deliver another wide swing, she launched herself in the air and somersaulted, swiping with both of her hands to create wide arcs of bright flames that spread out like whips.
Unable to evade, the pale man crossed his arms over his face to protect his eyes. The flame whips did burn but not to a degree that would have incapacitated him. He was a little too late in realizing that, however, as in the next moment his entire body quaked from the devastating impact that hit his stomach.
Before he could understand what was happening, his back hit the floor with the same force, blinding pain flashing through his nerves as he bounced up, bypassing the protection provided by his bionic limbs and enhanced skeleton entirely meaningless to deliver a wave of agony straight to his brain, instantly shutting it down.
Flare didn’t let up even when knowing she had knocked him unconscious. Grabbing both of his arms around the elbows, she focused on her hands and further increased the heat of her fire as she pressed.
The flames spread through the seams between the mechanical components, whistling as they burned the greasing oil coating them, heating each limb to a point where her monstrous strength would be enough to crush them.
Her eyes were on the short man and his giant guard the whole time. As soon as she was sure the pale man wouldn’t be able to use his bladed weapons anymore, she took off after the other two. It was only now that she got a good look at her surroundings, having only focused on the hole in the ceiling when she first arrived.
Seeing how wide it was, the absence of walls, the lined pillars holding the high ceiling, and the paved paths leading up, she realized they were inside a parking lot. Even though there were no vehicles in sight, Flare feared that they had one waiting for their arrival and so she put more strength into her feet, further increasing her speed.
Just as she crossed half the distance between, something odd happened right before her eyes. The ceiling suddenly collapsed, turning into a pile of rubble that came tumbling down like an avalanche.
If it wasn’t for his bodyguard pulling him back at the last moment, the short man would have been buried alive. Grabbing him under his arm, the goliath looked left and right then started running once more, this time toward the exit far to the left.
A wall of flames emerged in his path, but it only slowed him slightly. His right arm popped open, turning to a wide shield he held in front of him as he ran straight through the fire, his speed increasing further, the ground trembling with each step he took.
Flare was faster, and by the time he had crossed the wall of flames, she was already blocking the way to the exit. From where she stood, it felt as if an entire train was rushing in her direction, threatening to crush her entirely.
She planted her feet firmly into the ground and twisted her body, punching the air with everything she had. The torrent of fire that burst out of her fist incinerated those around it in an instant. Colliding with the giant guard’s shield, it roared and spread its wings, shaking the entire parking lot with its might.
The giant guard was pushed back, but he never gave in, continuing to push against the incandescent flames with complete disregard for his life. The synth skin covering his body melted and burned, and the mechanical components under it groaned as if to complain.
The heat had long since surpassed what a normal human could bear and even Flare was starting to have a hard time breathing. She failed to stop the giant’s advance and so she was forced to jump out of the way lest she wanted to get crushed under his feet.
In her mind, the giant guard ignored her and continued toward the exit, which is why she rushed to follow after him the instant she rolled to her feet. But she was wrong, and if her intuition didn’t scream for her to jump away, the blast that obliterated the spot she stood on would have done the same to the rest of her body.
A trail of smoke rose from the goliath’s left arm, which had its exterior split up and folded on itself to reveal what was hidden underneath. Twin rails extended outward, tendrils of blue electricity dancing between them. The loading port rotated, bringing forth another magnetically sealed projectile from the magazine hidden right above the elbow.
A miniature rail gun, the kind one would see on a heavy exo-armor. Such a weapon wasn’t something that could be stuffed into a single bionic arm, but clearly someone was able to make it work.
The rumble that spread through the floor left Flare slightly disoriented, and by the time she regained her balance, the giant was already preparing to fire another shot.
The lethal weapon sang a dangerous hum, the light at the end of its barrel growing brighter by the second. Kicking the floor, the young hero ran straight toward it as if daring the giant to shoot her in the face. The distance between them disappeared in less than a second and with it went any chance for her to dodge. That’s when the lethal weapon reached its full charge.
An electromagnetic pulse plunged the parking lot into a moment of darkness, and following it was a bright flash that painted everything white. A violent quake reverberated through the underground hideout, spreading to the surface and the building serving as its cover and those surrounding it as well.