"It's a trap!" Draven yelled, his voice loud in the small safe house. "They're moving the real target!"
In that one, shocking moment, Seraph's mind moved quickly. She didn't have time to plan. She didn't have time to discuss. There was only time to make a choice.
"Jonah, Vanessa, buy us time!" she commanded, and her sharp voice broke through the rising panic in the room. "Keep their hacker busy. Do not let them realize we know about the truck. Draven, with me!"
She made a brilliant choice in just a second. She was sacrificing her scouts to give her heavy assault a chance.
Jonah understood her command right away. "On it," he said in a low, determined voice. He immediately had Trace move in a more frantic way, making it look like it was fighting for its life. It was the perfect trick, a clever piece of acting to keep the Bureau's attention on the useless decoy.
Vanessa didn't say a word. She just put all her focus into the console, launching an aggressive counter-attack against the Bureau's hacker. Her fingers moved fast, her face lit up by the glowing code. She was building a computer trap for her enemy, keeping them busy in a pointless fight.
Seraph was already moving. She grabbed her powerful pistol and kicked the door open to the safe house roof. "We stop that transport!" she yelled, before she ran out into the cold, rainy night.
Draven was right behind her. He wasn't frustrated anymore. Instead, his eyes showed he was ready to fight. This was what he was meant to do. He wasn't supposed to watch or wait. He was supposed to act.
They came out onto the rooftop. The rain was coming down harder now, making the gravel under their boots wet and slippery. Below them, in the dark alley, the armored transport was picking up speed, its heavy tires hissing on the wet ground. It was about to reach the main street and disappear into the city traffic.
"I need an opening," Draven growled, watching the truck get away. "Just get me in front of it."
"I'll give you more than that," Seraph said.
She ran to the edge of the roof, her combat boots splashing in the growing puddles. She did not hesitate. She did not take cover. She started shooting. The powerful pistol in her hand was no ordinary gun. It shot out bolts of crackling, blue energy. Fzzt! Fzzt! Fzzt! The bolts of energy hit the side of the moving truck. They blew up in bright, blue flashes that made the dark alley bright for a split second.
Clang! Clang! Clang! The shots weren't strong enough to break through the thick armor, but they were a big distraction. Soldiers from the Bureau came out of hatches on the truck and started shooting back with their energy rifles. Red energy bolts flew past Seraph's head, hissing in the rain. She knelt down behind a brick ledge for cover and kept shooting to keep them down.
She had their attention.
That was all Draven needed.
He took a deep breath. His muscular body began to make a low, powerful buzzing sound. A bright, golden light shot out from his skin and covered him from head to toe. The light became solid in an instant, turning into a suit of huge golden armor. A big, horned helmet formed on his head, and a massive, glowing sword appeared in his hands.
He wasn't just a man in armor now. He was a walking tank. He was a true Manifestor in his full power.
He took a running start. His huge armored boots hit the roof hard. Thud. Thud. Thud. He moved faster and faster with every step.
He reached the edge of the building.
He launched himself off the roof.
For a shocking moment, he was in the air, like a golden comet in the dark, rainy sky. The Bureau soldiers below looked up, their eyes wide with shock and fear. They were ready for spies. They were ready for a gunfight. But they were not ready for this. Chapters first released on novel-fire.ɴet
Draven came down like a meteor.
He landed right in front of the speeding truck. He hit the ground so hard that a wave of force went down the alley. The road under his feet cracked and broke, with lines spreading out from where he landed.
The armored truck, a heavy ten-ton machine, crashed into him.
The noise of the crash was very loud. But Draven did not move. He planted his feet and bent his knees, becoming an object that couldn't be moved. The front of the truck smashed against his armor like a can. Its huge wheels screamed as they spun on the wet road.
The truck's engine made one last terrible groan and then died.
Draven, with steam coming off his armor in the rain, had brought the big, armored truck to a dead stop.
For a moment, the entire alley was silent.
Then, all hell broke loose.
Doors opened on all the trucks behind the main one. Soldiers in black gear ran out into the street, their guns lighting up the dark. Red energy shots began to fill the air, all aimed at the person in the middle of the road.
A big gunfight started.
Seraph's work of distracting the soldiers was done. She leaped from the roof and landed silently behind a large, metal dumpster. She started to fire right away, her blue energy shots making a dangerous attack from the side.
Draven raised his sword. The huge blade blocked the incoming shots with bright flashes. He was a one-man shield wall, a living barrier that the Bureau's soldiers could not get past.
The battle was intense. The rainy alley was now full of light and sound. The Bureau's escape was stopped. But the fight was not over yet.
And inside the stopped truck, something was waking up.
The real threat was about to be revealed.