The Resistance Starts Here

Rune pried open the heavy metal door of the Bunker. E.C.O.-620 was painted on the door in big black letters, the identification number of the ship. Beneath it a bright orange smiley face had been spray-painted on the red air ship door.

“Zuzu…” Rune muttered with a sigh, knowing who was responsible for the smiley face that had not been there earlier.

Rune lifted himself up into the Bunker with ease. HE stood in the middle of the main control room of the ship. Talbot was staring, fixated at the hologram projection of E.C.O. Headquarters. He turned to Rune to flash him his creepy smile before returning his attention to the map. Naphtali sat off in the corner, clearly angry about something. Rune didn’t ask.

Rune was tired, and headed for the cabin. There were two bunk beds, one on each side of the room. There were some straw mats on the floor and various stuffed animals belonging to Zuzu. Several guns and all kinds of ammunition lay scattered on the bottom bunk of one of the beds, along with Joshua’s combat knife. Rain beat against the window on the far side of the room.

Rune reclined in the window sill and shut his eyes, listening to the endless rain. It reminded him of his cell at E.C.O. Corp. At one point, he had lived in a nice room that kind of resembled a hospital room, like all of the other orphans. But his resentment towards the ones, who had experimented on him, caused him to act out. HE was then declared insubordinate and was placed under constant supervision in a cell. There was nothing to do but listen to the rain in there.

Rune clutched the Moon Sigil that hung around his neck, and could feel Eve’s energy from within. HE felt Eve’s hand coming out of the Moon Sigil and let go of it. Eve slowly pulled herself from the pendant until she had emerged to her waist.

“Eve, you need to stay minimized. We might need your energy later. Don’t use it all up now.”

Rune still lay on his back in the window sill as Eve loomed over him still attached to the Moon Sigil on his chest. She smiled at him, but he could tell she was unhappy.

“Tomorrow, Eve, tomorrow you can stay out as long as you want.” Eve’s smile grew, but she and Rune both knew she wouldn’t be able to stay out very long.

Eve sank back into the Moon Sigil. Rune sighed. Zuzu burst into the room closely followed by Joshua.

“Rune, I’m Hungry!” Zuzu whined.

Rune sat up.

“What are you doing sulking in here? We need to go stock up on some food.” Joshua said in a friendly voice.

Rune smiled, stood up and stretched. Rune and Joshua had quickly become friends. Joshua’s cheerful, easy-going nature made him easy to be around. Joshua and Rune lead the party and a strong sense of friendly competition existed between the two.

“You had better bring a gun. They’re still after us.” Rune said.

Joshua nodded. “Let’s go.”

He quickly picked up his things form his bed and strapped his two machine guns to the sides of his legs while walking into the control room. Zuzu skipped merrily behind him, her backpack bouncing merrily as well.

“Yay, outside!” she said over and over. Joshua couldn’t help but smile.

“Tali, Talbot, time to go” Tali jumped to her feet and the sound of hidden chains could be heard under her coat, while Talbot spun around  on his bare heel, revealing a smile that would make a child laugh and cry at once, Zuzu just laughed, hiding behind Joshua.

“Okay gang, here’s the plan” Joshua said and tapped a button on the holographic display, a complex map of E.C.O. HQ. Popped up then zoomed into a much smaller section.

“That’s the food supply for that sectors E.C.O. guards.” Rune said questionably.

“Exactly, so no bad feeling for taking it from ‘em” Joshua said.

“Any chance of a fight?” Tali asked, her head cocked to the side, and with her arms folded.

“A pretty good chance someone’ll see us so I’d say yes.” Rune said, and Joshua nodded after a moment.

“Good” she said sharply, and the slightest of slight smirks almost appeared on her lips as she thought of flaming heads.

“I’m booooored let’s go already” Zuzu said as she performed a one handed hand stand and BettyTackback (her teddy backpack) flopped lazily on her back.

“HA! The girl’s got a point” Talbot said and smiled a little wider.

Just a moment later, the six emerged from the Bunker carrying a small arsenal and a backpack full of stuffed animals. There was a loud hissing as the hatch closed and automatically locked and sealed. The rain had lightened up a bit, and brought with it a slightly fresher air. The group stepped out from under the shelter that also observed their homestead from discovery. The rain fell on them, soaking into their clothes without relenting.

Joshua looked around and took in the sight of the slums. The people were all living, but not healthy or content; he then looked at E.C.O. HQ., and the lights coming out of the windows, the people there were healthy, and somewhat content; but Joshua barely considered it a living.
“Joshua” a voice said from behind “Get a move on, Zuzu’s stomach sounds like its going to explode” it was Rune.
“Okay” said Joshua and Zuzu gave him a pained smile.

The rain beat down on the group. In seconds they were soaked. Talbot didn’t mind, his bare feet sloshed in the mud, but strangely, he made not a single sound as he moved.

Grinning maliciously, he followed Rune and Joshua. He kept his hands under the long sleeves of his jacket. The belts hung loosely from it, and jingled faintly over the pouring rain. Talbot’s long, waist-length black hair now hung in his face, covering one of his dark eyes, “I wonder…” he paused to laugh for a moment, “if we will run into any guards?” he laughed again, excitement rising in his voice. He hated E.C.O. why? He had not a clue, it might have been because of that reason he hated them. His mind had been lost only 6 years ago. He no longer registered the pain and suffering he had received from the cruel scientists at E.C.O.

Her expression was fierce. Tali held her coat closer to her body to keep warm. Though she felt the need to burn and kill, she kept that need buried. Tali’s chains were wrapped around her waist and arms, ready to be used at anytime.

She glared at the bleak sky, and the decrepit slums. Even this place was better than that prison.

Tali’s black and purple hair was soaked and hung in her face. It seemed plastered, hiding her platinum eyes from view. In a small attempt to keep her hair from her eyes she pulled her goggles over them and silently followed the path they had chosen. Her anger rising along with her thirst for death as they moved closer and closer to the food supply.

Though she would have never admitted it, she liked being around her “Friends” but even she could get annoyed with Zuzu’s hyperactiveness, and Talbot’s complicated mental problems. Normally she would keep to herself, only going along with the group if it involved a small chance of violence.

Tali’s platinum eyes darted towards the vast presence of E.C.O. just the sight of it made her blood boil, but at the moment, food was the priority, not killing, ~At least for now. ~ She thought and trudged on.

Thanks to the access codes and the map of E.C.O. HQ. The Bunker had provided them with, getting inside would be easy. Rune was a little nervous though. They were so lucky to be on the outside. It was hard to imagine going back in.

They reached the TB 117 entrance; the door usually used for E.C.O. henchmen in charge of bringing in the few supplies E.C.O. Corp. might bather from the outside. This entrance was reasonably close to a food pantry, and any guards in this wing would be fairly weak, most of them being primarily supply gatherers.

Rune as trying to calculate how much time they would need to reach the pantry, but his thoughts were interrupted.
“Splashee! Splashee! I love puddles!” Zuzu sang out.

Rune shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He then turned to Zuzu and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Zuzu.” He spoke patiently, reminding himself that Zuzu had the mental age of a seven year old, “We are breaking into E.C.O. HQ. If we get caught, they can try to make us stay there. Do you understand?”

Zuzu smiled and pressed a finger to her lips, “Yea. We gotta be quiet.”

Joshua stepped forward, “Don’t worry. We can handle this.”

Rune was still uncertain as Zuzu had begun singing and splashing again, but he could feel Tali’s impatience growing, so he stepped forward and entered the access code: F-R-I-E-1-1-7.

The door slid upwards in a flash of blue energy, and the bright, white lights of E.C.O. flooded outwards. The orphans had forgotten how bright their old home had been, and had gotten used to the darkness of the outside.

Joshua clasped his hand over Zuzu’s mouth as the door opened. She looked surprised at first, but then she gave him the thumbs up signal remembering, "Oh yea...sneaky."

Tali pushed past Rune eager to get inside, and Talbot followed. Both of them immediately turned right, an automatic response since it was a place the two of them were willing to find others to kill.

"Um...guys. This way." Rune said, pointing to the left.

"Oh....right...yeah....left......" Mumbled Tali, Talbot just laughed quietly.

The party traveled in silence. All of them were still in disbelief. It felt so strange to be inside again. They could hear guards communicating electronically one hall way over, but they were close to the pantry now. This mission was starting to seem pretty easy.

It was then that Rune’s shoes squeaked.

One hall over, a guard spoke into the communication device, “Did you hear something?”

Everyone froze, listening for the pursuit of the guards.

“I didn’t, you hearing things over there? Too much pressure, huh?” A guard replied teasingly.

“Hey, Rune! You’re shoes are squeaky!!” Zuzu called out.

Rune’s eyes widened. Joshua clasped both hands over Zuzu’s mouth this time, and spoke in an excited whisper, “Zuzu! Quiet!”

“Too late…Here they come.” Tali said, a dreadful smile creeping onto her face, as she turned towards the sound of the guards.

Tali’s arms hung limply at her sides and chains dropped heavily from the sleeves of her coat. Talbot began to laugh deliriously. Joshua held up his gun and smiled at Zuzu.

“Oopsie! I’m not very good at the sneaky…” Zuzu said, placing a hand over her mouth.

Rune held the moon sigil tightly, as he started towards the sound of the guards, determined not to be taken by them again. He clenched his fist around the knife in his right hand.

“Let’s do this…”

The two guards rounded the turn and immediately saw the five of them, Eve still in her sigil, and then they quickly drew their guns. Joshua’s body lurched forward a bit as he threw his arms out in front of him, and the guard felt as if they suddenly passed through a wall of dense jam coming at high speed. The force wasn’t enough to knock them off of their feet, but they all took a step back and were suddenly less confident. He stared intently at the guns of the guards and with his arms outstretched, he moved his fingers until his hands found what they were looking for. He pulled his arms backward and behind him. The guards’ guns flew out of their hands and towards Joshua, stopping in midair just behind Joshua.

“Boop! Boop!” said Zuzu as she pocked the guns suspended in the air. They seemed as if they were melting for a moment into gay and black blobs, but they then reshaped into two distinctly different items, a fuzzy yellow rabbit, and a metal ducky with a pull string. Joshua released his mental grip and they both fell onto the floor. The ducky started moving across the floor quacking; the rabbit said in a cheery voice “I’m making rabbit noises.” The guards stared in complete awe, until one slowly drew a knife from a sheath on his waist, the others followed.

“Zuzu, be serious, please.” Joshua said, barely holding back a smile.

“Sorry, I didn’t know what noise wabbits make” she said not grasping what he meant. “…OH! You mean the guards.”

Zuzu took her handgun out of a bag on her waist, it was real enough, but the metal of the gun was bright pink, and it had a small glass panda miniature hanging from it by a chain.

One of the guards tapped the side of his visor and its ear lit up. “We need backup,” he said “We’ve got escaped C.H.I. in sect…UGH!” He was interrupted by a solid metal teddy bear that struck the side of his head, shattering the visor. The other guard, who was visor less, tightened the grip on his knife. Joshua winked at Zuzu, who will at the moment be referred to as Provider of Solid Metal Teddy Bears. At this point there was also a lack of any quacking and anything similar to “I’m making rabbit noises.”

Rune pushed to the front of the group, “Quit hogging ‘em.” He said, running at the guards.

Joshua jammed a magazine into this machine gun. “As if!”

Within the ventilation shafts of E.C.O. a creature of unknown origin moved. It shined like metal, but moved as if it was composed of liquid. Many thoughts were going through its head, or at least its mind. “He” was confused as to what had happened to him. He had escaped from the confines of his lab after the experiment had failed. Or had it succeeded?

The liquid metal creature was once a scientist here at E.C.O. He has always been against orphan experimentation, and when working on injecting a new element, mercury, into the body, he refused to use an orphan, and injected himself without the permission of his superiors. He was Marco Ramses. The form he had taken was that of a featureless blob. His perception was enhanced to the point where he could see in all directions, and his hearing was also increased. He willed himself forward, sliding through the air vents with ease.

Marco reached a junction in the vents. He started to hear shouting. He became confused, ~what is going on? ~ He thought to himself. A sharp girlish voice was the source of the shouting. It made the whole vent echo. When it reached Marco’s sensory, he made a yelp of pain, though it was only heard in his mind.

All he heard from the voice was that “Hey!!” and “Your shoes are squeaky!”

Marco slithered down the vent on his right to the opening. He saw that this would drop him on top of one of the guards. He didn’t exit yet, instead he looked around. He suddenly saw five kids.

“Kids? What is going on here?”
He saw a little girl with a back pack, a girl with long chains, a blue haired boy with a necklace around his neck, a very tall young man with long hair and a straight jacket on, and finally they young man in front of the group with his arms held to the left of him.

Marco oozed himself out of the vent, keeping to the ceiling, watching the young man in front use his telekinetic powers.

“Hmm, C.H.I. subjects, always good to see our work in action.”

Finally deciding to help the children, he was not one for underage violence. Dropping to the floor, his shiny body oozed around the guard’s legs that Rune was charging at. Rune stopped his charge and watched as the guard was engulfed into Marco’s body.

As the rest of the group watched, Zuzu shouted out, “Ooooooo! Look Joshua, shiny metal thingy!! Can I keep it?!”

“What’s this?” Rune took a step back from the guard who was now engulfed in a gooey metal substance.

“Rune! Look out!” Joshua called out as he noticed more guards approaching.

Rune turned just in time to see a guard with a club raised over his head. These were new guards, with heavier armor. They must have gotten the message from the guard who was knocked out by the teddy bear, and it seemed that there were more on their way.

Rune had been distracted by the appearance of the mercury being and had not noticed the new guard approach him from behind. He was about to be hit when Eve came out.

She materialized herself within the guard’s body, sprouting out of his back to grab the man’s arm, preventing him from attacking Rune. Joshua took this opportunity to shoot the guard in the stomach. Eve then separated herself from the guard, and his body fell to the floor with a soft thud.

“Get it together Rune. I never thought I’d see the day when you let thugs like these guys sneak up on you.” Joshua smirked as he held his gun out and propped it onto his shoulder.

Rune smiled “It’s been a while. I don’t get out much.”

“That’s because you’re always moping around in that window of yours.” Joshua replied, stepping out of Rune’s way as he leaped forward and slashed a guard across the chest.

Free of guards for a moment, Rune turned back towards the mercury being. Cautiously, he stepped towards it, and as he did so, the mercury substance oozed to the floor, letting the guard slump over dead.

“Whoa…” Rune stared in awe at the metallic puddle as it spread towards his feet.

At this moment a burst of flame erupted less than a foot away from Rune’s head.

“Tali! Watch out!”

“Sorry Rune, didn’t know I was so close.” Tali replied with a devilish smile.

Rune had looked away long enough to give the mercury being a chance to reconstruct himself in the shape of a man. When Rune faced him again, he found that he had to look up to see into his eyes. The mercury man seemed to tower over Rune as Talbot always did, where Rune was only a little over 5 ft tall.

“Hey, pretty moon lady! How come Rune keeps you in that box around his neck all the time? Does it bother you? How come you don’t talk? You have pretty hair. It’s soooo long….” Zuzu had stopped fighting completely so that she could go and talk to Eve. She was pretty excited to see Eve, since she didn’t see her very often.

Eve blinked and stared down at the child, confused by the sudden flood of questions.

“You can be my new friend pretty moon lady. We’ll eat cake together as soon as I figure out where to find one!”

Eve smiled shyly.

“Zuzu! We’re in battle!” Joshua reminded her.

“Don’t bother; Naphtali seems to have this covered.” Rune said as he watched Tali annihilate three guards.

She lifted her arms and threw two chains which twisted tightly around two guard’s necks, then pulled hard enough that the guard’s necks broke under the strain with a loud Crack. She then trapped the last remaining guard under her gaze and set him aflame. His screams echoed down the halls. Zuzu ran and hid behind Joshua, who was unsure how he felt about Naphtali’s excessive violence.

The mercury being struggled to take his first steps towards the orphans, discovering that it took most of his concentration just to maintain his human shape. Recognizing that he was struggling Joshua approached him.

“Are you alright?” Joshua received no reply.

“He can’t speak.” Rune concluded.

After a brief pause, Zuzu sprang forward, “I have an idea.”

The young girl took a club from one o the guards and a button off of another dead one’s shirt. Then she proceeded to transform them into a piece of paper and a pencil.

“Ta dah!” Zuzu sang as she offered the mercury man the paper and pencil.

Finding it difficult to write at first, the mercury being explained that he too and received elemental injections, and that he had once been a dedicated researcher for E.C.O. Corp. But now he wished to escape recognizing the corruption within the corporation.

Joshua read the text aloud, revealing the mercury being’s name, Marco.

“We’ll help you escape, Mr. Marco.” Zuzu promised.

Rune however, did not trust him. He held his knives tightly at his sides, as he glared at the mercury being.

“We can’t have him with us. He’s one of them. How can you all trust him so easily?!”

“He helped us just a moment ago. He’s seen the experiments too, he’s no different than us!” Joshua tried to reason with Rune.

Marco wrote again, I MEAN YOU NO HARM.

Rune was about to loose his temper when Eve stepped forward. She took the hand that Rune held his knife in, and while holding it, shook her head ‘No.’ Rune took a deep breath and calmed him self.

“All right. We’ll help you.” He said.

Eve turned to Marco and smiled.

“More guards!” Tali shouted.

“Oh…Joshua, Do we have to fight more? I’m soooo hungry. I don’t think I can.” Zuzu whined.

“No problem. Talbot and I will take care of these insects. You all run ahead. We’ll catch up. Right, Talbot?” Tali turned to him. Talbot began laughing, holding up a scalpel, a little entranced by the light reflecting from it.

With his insane grin he turned his full attention to the guards sprinting down the hall.