Track Five Without Endurance We Are Useless
Spine and blade scrappers held the first ranks. The first wave of enemies consisted of the weaker and newer recruits. Oscillators took the sky to battle the blasters. Electric blasts illuminated the area.
“Controllers, back up the defenders with heals! We need to keep our heroes alive! Dark Armor users we need those dark embraces up now!! I need all martial art and claw scrappers to replace the first ranks so they can recuperate. Fire blasters focus your attack on all Vahzilok minions! We need to bring down those embalmed abominations before they reach our offensive line!”
Lieutenants and Dukes marched forward and began to tear holes in the heroes’ second ranks. Scrappers dropped to the ground from electric burns. Exhausted scrappers from the first ranks charged in to hold off the enemy a little longer while defenders continued to keep them alive.
Eidolons and Aberrants crushed the minds of scrappers. Controllers created a third rank and stood by the scrappers trying to keep their minds free of harm and keeping their injuries healed.
Radio Wave used gravity control and tossed enemies into their ranks of mind controllers.
Buddha continued to fight his urge to join the scrappers and keep the defenders safe. He could hear music in the back of his mind. He felt calm and prepared. He then noticed a group of oscillators circling Radio Wave.
“Radio, look out!!”
She turned and saw a bright flash. The sounds of slug shots ripping through metal filled her ears. As she lowered her arms and looked up she saw a young blaster salute her. She nodded to him and then focused her attention to the battle.
Scrappers continued to hold the offensive line strong. Assembler Dukes and Telsa Knights struck hard. Scroungers flooded in and pushed the scrapper ranks back. The first and second hero ranks began to suffer massive loses.
The Circle of Thorns remained in the back keeping their temporary allies alive in order to crush the heroes. Energy mages sniped the scrappers from afar. Blasters flew lower and lower to the ground, as they grew tired. The next wave of enemies marched in.
Abominations and Princes tore through the scrappers. The melee heroes were tossed out of the shields and into groups of awaiting mobs. Controllers quickly became no match for the new wave of enemies. Madness mages and Blasters focused attacks on single targets in hopes of pushing the enemy back. Reapers and Mortifcators began harvesting body parts from the scrappers that were thrown out of the shields.
Buddha heard someone hitting the ground. He looked behind him and saw one of the defenders had collapsed from exhaustion. Many of the defenders used each other for support in order to keep from stumbling over.
“Oh no.”
He looked at the stone tanker next to him.
“If the shields go down…”
A fierce roar sent horror down the heroes’ backs. The ground shook and the voice of a single controller could be heard in the distance.
“They’re coming out of the lake!!”
The back of the stage exploded. There stood a creature of superior size and strength. It looked like the swamp had come alive and behind this red creature marched in an army of smaller green versions of itself.
Buddha felt his heart stop.
“What are those?”
Radio Wave turned her attention to the new enemy.
“Blasters!! Focus all attacks against the swamp creatures!! Storm Controllers we need to buy more time!”
Blasts of wind held the enemies in place. A moat of ice surrounded the heroes. The waves of enemies slipped and struggled to keep their footing. Tentacles burst through the ice and cleared paths for the enemies.
Radio Wave put her hands together and closed her eyes.
The shields coverage grew smaller. With no first or second ranks left, and minimal remains of a third rank the enemies had breached the offensive line. The few remaining controllers fell back and attended to the defenders. Tankers prepared for battle.
The swamp creatures shot projectiles from their mouths and the blaster ranks depleted at amazing speeds. The blasters then flew in close and focused all attack powers on the red swamp creature.
Tankers battled the Abominations and Princes. Super strength tankers ripped apart the abominations and swung them at the swamp creatures. The lake monsters devoured the dismembered vahzilok’s to replenish their strength. Elemental tankers did what they could to hold back the clock works. Gears froze and armor melted and circuits overloaded.
The shields dropped. Buddha looked behind him. The remaining defender looked up at him and shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I’m just…too…tired.”
As the defender collapsed Buddha felt the cold hand of fear. He turned and looked at Radio Wave. The leader of the swamp creatures stood before her. It raised its hands.
Radio Wave’s eyes opened and her arms quickly extended out to her sides. A wave of sound erupted from her body. All enemies came to a stand still. The heroes looked around. They stood in a dome of absolute silence. She looked at the heroes and moved her lips.
“Run.”
The tankers grabbed what heroes they could carry and headed into the water and towards the western wall. Remaining blasters dropped mines on the ground and then flew to safety. Radio Wave grabbed Buddha’s arm and led him into the water behind the rest of the fleeing heroes. As she stepped out of the dome, sound returned to the area.
The enemies chased the heroes into the water. Skulls and Hellions guarded the western banks and launched their attack on the oncoming heroes.
The heroes had been surrounded. A group of only eleven tankers, one controller and four blasters would be no match for an army comprised of clock works, vahzilok minions, lost, skulls, hellions, circle of thorns, and hydras.
Using what strength she had, Radio Wave formed a shield of sound around the heroes. Blasters fired at anything that got to close. Tankers tried to keep the enemy at bay using knock back style attacks, but soon became overpowered. Hydra’s knocked the tankers to the ground and Eidolons kept the blasters stuck in states of mental breakdowns.
Radio Wave stood in the center of the group and took a deep breath. With no endurance left she felt useless and helpless. The sound barrier that helped protect the heroes had dropped. She held Buddha’s hand and looked up at him.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Song Eight
I think of myself as a coward and a hero. I ran from the park before the battle had begun. I could have been there to help protect the other heroes. But, if I stayed then I probably would have ended up with the same fate as some of those fallen tankers. Someone needed to call for help. I traveled into Atlas and told Ms. Liberty of what was to transpire. She was skeptical about what I told her and disregarded my warnings and continued granting heroes new security levels.
The battle had begun and I hadn’t even arrived in Steel Canyon yet. I thought back to the times I was sent back to this era. Every time I contacted someone to bring help, there was always an excuse or disbelief that would eat up time. Why would no one believe me the first time around? Is the future truly set in stone? Am I supposed to take this long getting help? For what reason though, why couldn’t help get there sooner. I have never had the courage to ask Buddha what happened when the battle was taken into the lake. He always seemed to stop telling the story as soon as he got to the part of the story.
News had finally arrived at Freedom Corps. Within a few seconds an emergency distress call was sent out across Paragon City. Heroes ranging from as low as security levels four to as high as security level forty raced to Perez Park.
The first to arrive on the scene were the famed Protective Units of Paragon. The defender units were fast at work at healing fallen heroes. Tanker and Blaster units started pushing back the army of enemies. The cavalry had arrived. Swarms of heroes reached the park. Tanker units formed paths for defenders to begin work on fallen heroes. Scrappers and blasters caused the ranks of enemies to disperse and the controllers instilled horror into the minds of the enemies. I joined in and helped push back the hydras. As I fought my way through hydras I kept a constant look out for Buddha and Radio Wave. It was this moment in history that Buddha has refused to talk to me about. They had escaped the fight, but where had they hidden themselves.
Today marked the day that Perez Park would be labeled a danger zone. Only heroes of at least a security level seven would be allowed in to the area. The enemies’ alliances where broken and they soon set up camps throughout Perez Park.
Posts
