Because I am so ultimately cheap, I shall preview this small section of story I typed up. Garsh, I'm a cheap bastard...
GUARDIANS, THIEVES, AND INDUSRTY--The battle for Last Legs (cont.)
They returned to the dock behind the water bases, and placed themselves in to the boat. Stranger placed his hands on the handles of the oars, and pushed off the ramp, rowing towards the opened gates. The inside was about as big as the entire dam. Racks of moving tracks transported barrels of something above their heads. The sides were small narrow platforms of dock ties. Another gate was wide open for them, and the inside was nothing but a small room of water. He slowed the boat down as they entered, looking high above the misty room.
“What the hell’s this place supposed ter be…” Stranger trailed off, blinking high up still. The gates behind them now closed, leaving them trapped in the elevator shaft. He growled uneasily, snapping his head all over the place. Umi touched his arm, which made his head dart down to her.
“Calm down…We’re not trapped,” she said soothingly. Stranger sighed, flaring his nostrils.
“Hope yer right…” he purred loudly, looking back up. Trickling sounds became louder. Then a burst of water gushed out of barred pipes in the walls, falling in to the pool they drifted in. The room began to rapidly fill up, moving them higher up to a closed gate with a black-yellow checkered waterline. When the water touched that particular line, the water slowed down to a mere drop of water. The gates slid open, revealing another long line of a waterway, but with the gates closed ahead of them. A small ramp dock held out to them on their right with a dock tie as well. He bumped the boat on to it, beaching it from drifting away in to the waterway. They both jumped out of the boat carefully, not to knock the boat out of place. A higher platform held nothing more but Wolvarks, mostly automatics, with armor-plating vests. Snipers were perched above pipes simply, with their night-vision goggles placed over their beady black eyes, and a Laser rifle. It reminded Umi of the Beam rifle, since it was similar to the stream of piping-hot plasma. The thing overheated like the bloody weapon, which made it hard to handle. Stranger held low under the platform’s wall, peeking over the edge to the ramp which led up to the Wolvark security guards. Metal crates populated the gash beside the walls of the dam, which would, quite possibly, make an easier attempt to get the Wolvarks quietly. But then he glanced up to the snipers. They’d make dinner out of them quickly than having a Thanksgiving dinner at their grandmother’s house. The snipers had to go, and quick. Stranger had no Snuzis, which made his problem more troublesome. Umi’s rifle would make too much noise. The only thing left was his plan B objection: Swiftly, but noisily. He unlocked his bow, loading on Super Stingbees and Riot Slugs. He quickly looked down to Umi, giving a shallow nod.
“Yer ready?” he said. Umi slung her rifle in front of her arms, cocking it off of safety with seriousness.
“Damn-straight,” she didn’t even grin, but nodded. He growled, then headed up the ramp to the first Wolvark that he caught off-guard. The Wolvark stumbled over from the shrapnel of the exploded Riot Slug that shot its spikes everywhere around the Wolvarks. The snipers jumped in surprise, lighting its rifle, and taking careful aim. Umi knelt down, and spewed bullets among the Wolvarks. The bullets peppered among their uncovered bodies, sending them back down over the pipes, and landing on the platform with bloody tattered bodies. That left them with an easy approach, since the snipers were quickly done and away with. More armored Wolvarks with automatics emerged from behind the metal crates, with their goggles over their faces, and breathing hoarsely underneath their gas masks.
"There's that bloody Steef and human..." a Wolvark growled with its phlemy voice. The Wolvarks reloaded their rifles, still watching the Steef closely. What they didn't notice was the human, knelt down by Stranger, with her rifle at arm. She grinned, then pulled the trigger. Bullets spattered along the Wolvark's vests, blood popping out of the bullet holes she created. Two Wolvarks cringed back behind the crates, occasionally peeking out over, and shooting random fire. It was like playing a game of whack-the-mole. It was difficult, and quite annoying. The Wolvarks kept popping out. A couple bullets were shot again. The bullets sprang along the cement base, pieces of rock plucked upon Umi's face, temporarily blinding her. The Wolvarks snickered maliciously, then both poked out and shot a few rounds. Umi felt a hot pain run through her shoulder, three hot pains. Her eyes popped open, gazing up at the ceiling, clenching her shoulder, and slumping back over her heels. Hot tears trickled down her burning face, irritating her skin.
"They got me they got me..." she whispered up to Stranger. He nodded, stepping in front of her, holding out his bow to the crates. The Wolvarks were playing their hide-n-seek game again, hiding behind the crates again. He growled irritatingly, loading on two Boom-bat Seekers on both launchers. He shot one Seeker at a pile of crates, blowing off the tops of the crates, and revealing a Wolvark's head. He shook his head at the Wolvark as it reloaded its rifle, and shot the second Seeker at it. The two drones that emerged from under the 'bat's wings fluttered right by the Seeker. The time-bomb was on for that Wolvark. Stranger moved up, ignoring the bloody screech of the Wolvark exploding. He bashed away the second pile of crates, revealing the other Wolvark, quivering in fear. Obviously, he had heard the terrible tragedy of his partner, and was afraid to face his fate. His most terrible, horrific fate.
"Din't think I'd find yeh, huh?" Stranger grinned craftily, leaning closer to the frightened security guard. The Wolvark let out a quick squeal affirmative. Stranger let a low chuckle out, then frowned. "Well,, now I did..." Stranger leaned back, pointing his bow in front of the Wolvark's face. Rabid Fuzzles growled angrily at the Wolvark's goggles with glowering blood-red eyes. Next thing you know, that Wolvark is also screeching in pain, wailing itself around, trying to wipe the Fuzzles off its face. Stranger left the Wolvark to its pain, and walked back to Umi. Three bullet holes were shot in her right shoulder. Her vest was soaked in her blood. She poked her fingers in to two of the holes, wincing in intense pain. She scraped out two circular bullets from two holes, and reached in to the last one. She hissed more painfully, as she scraped out the last bullet. It chinked on the cement, and she let out a lud sigh.
"Got me good, buddy...Got me good..." she looked up to him. Stranger let out an affirmative grumble, kneeling down to her, and observing her shoulder. it was ringed with a circle of blood. The wounds sparkled red of blood inside.
"Better get that thing wrapped, kid. Or you'll bleed ter death," Stranger nodded.
"There's nothin' to help me out, Stranger..." Umi groaned. He had to agree.
"Well, let's get that thing washed out first..." he moved her gently to the end of the ramp, and scooped some water in his hand. He dribbled it over the open wounds, Umi hissing at the cool pain of the water dabbing on. The blood turned darker as the water soaked in. The icy touch dissappeared quickly. Stranger blinked at the wounds again, then back to Umi's eyes.
"Better?" he asked gently. Umi tried her best to look at the bullet holes, but grunted an affirmative.
"Think I'ma get a bruise there..." she smiled weakly. Stranger let out a soft chuckle.
"Think yer insane..." he grinned, pushing away a strand of half-frozen hair from her face. She blinked confusingly at his for a second.
"Think we're wastin' time ter get up to Sekto..." she let out a laugh. Stranger nodded, then began to look up and down of the large facility. He looked back to the closed water gate, beginning to think there was another activation key to start the thing up. He looked directly above the gate, seeing a pulsating white light blink overtop something. Usually, he saw those over the same activation keys he'd go at.
"There's the lil' sucker..." Stranger grinned up at the light.
"I think I'll walk..." Umi lifted out of his cradling arms. She stopped the pressure on her hurt arm, then wobbled back up. Stranger stood back up as well.
"Don't trip back in ter that water, kid," he chuckled lowly. Umi scowled back to him, walking up the ramp passed the blackened crates, with specks of blood and meat stuck upon it. The snipers were becoming caked with its own blood, laying more tattered up-close rather than far away. Seemed like Umi got a good shot off of them than she thought. Stranger passed Umi, looking back and grinning playfully to her.
"You think yer funny, huh? Wanna play rough, huh? Ok, then...Bring it..." Umi spreaded her arms out challengingly out to him. Stranger howled a laugh.
"Yer already hurt enough, lil' one. I don't wanna hurt you s'more!" Stranger walked backwards, facing Umi.
"No pain, no gain!" Umi slapped her fist in to her palm. She cringed in pain from the shock up to her shoulder. She snorted angrily to his eyes, but he only grinned playfully. Umi sped up her pace to him, holding out a fist above and behind her head. Stranger hunched down a little, watching Umi trample towards him. She howled out a battlecry, flinging her fist towards his arm. He, on the other hand, took the shock of her punch in to his palm, and grasped on her wrist. He swung her around under his arm, and began to sprint up the second ramp up nearer to the keypad. Umi flailed at his chest, arm, and near his neck, growling angrily.
"You little prick! This isn't fair!" she snorted, her face turning a flush red. She pushed outward from under his arm. He felt her trying to wiggle out of his arm, then tightened around her waist. She huffed through her nose, glaring up to him. He got faster and faster up the ramp, until he stopped at the top. Then he let Umi down. She knelt on the ground, her hair falling over her flushed face. He knelt right by her.
"Give up?" he chuckled. Umi shot a hateful glance under the waterfalls of hair. She snorted again, looking back down in embarrassment and anger.
"Whatever..." she stood back up, placing her hair back in regular placing.