Contact with the underworld

The UAEC member who had landed on top of the van started shooting at the wheels and the engine.

"Do something!"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, shoot back."

"Are you crazy? That's a death sentence."

"Then something...."

A lorry drove straight into the right side of the van. The UAEC member was caught off guard and the sudden change in momentum and his own inertia threw him off the van into the streets of Mbare. His body rolled like a log before it was stopped by a barrier.

The people stood there with their mouths ajar as the horrific scene unraveled itself. The van had overturned and the men in it were badly injured.

The captain of UAEC squad watched from the opened airship hatch. He signaled the pilot to descend before jumping down himself and rushing to his underling. He checked the pulse from the wrist before ordering the other members to check on the van.

The bodies in the van were piling on top of each other in a weird manner. "We are going to need professional medics here, captain!" the crew called out as they pulled the bodies out. The captain was getting worried and decided to check on the drone.

"Captain the drone is still chasing its target three streets from you." a voice from the headset embedded into the helmet said.

The captain rotated his head trying to find a motorbike and ordered the airship to stay behind. He borrowed the motorbike from a citizen who was recording the scene. The motorbike took off and accelerated away.

"Darn it. I should have taken my weapon with me." The goon cried out as he ran away from the drone that kept its distance but followed him wherever he ran to. In his head the only thing he wanted was to get to an overpopulated area where it would be impossible to keep track of him from a single camera but his body couldn't keep on running as he slowed down.

Tired and angry, the goon decided to stop and picked up cans and stones and started throwing them at the drone. Even his throws didn't go far. He knew someone was going to come after him very soon if he didn't get rid of the drone.

Despair clouded his mind when he saw the motorbike that was carrying a UAEC member. The bike accelerated towards him and he immediately went on his knees and raised his arms. At that very moment he had given up, a trashcan came out of an alley and knocked the motorbike which lost control and the captain was propelled towards a wall. The drone was also shot down by small arrows.

"Wow you guys suck. A female came out the alley wearing a digital witches armour. Come with me genius."

"You are not going anywhere criminals.", the captain was back on his feet and pointed his gun at the woman.

"The best of the best was it. Tell me something officer do you really think your gun can help you."

The captain kept quiet before his headset made static sounds and a frantic voice screamed into his ear.

"We have lost all the cameras in the city captain. The drone too.!"

The captain kept his gun up but his body felt weak. He knew it would be dangerous to proceed forward without hope for backup and his opponent was also well dressed. 'Let's taste that armour out.' He thought as he pulled the trigger. Several bullets were released from the barrel but none of them hit. The woman had managed to move a few inches aside from the bullets path.

"Well you have chosen death. Kill him."

"Wait!" the captain screamed but it was too late. A thin cylindrical object landed on his chest and a surge of electricity ran through his body knocking him out.

"Such a waste. Allen nice shot."

"Yeah whatever. Why didn't you call Mellisa for this type of job." Allen answered as he appeared from the alley the woman had came out of.

"She is having a mood swing. You know I hate her mood swings and how introverted she is."

"Well you were the one who allowed Humba to send us to that death mission."

"Don't complain too much Allen. We get paid to do this."

The woman turned to the goon and smiled. "Tell your leader that he now owes us. And tell Nhamo to come see us when he is done crying about Munashe."

The goon and the woman separated ways. The goon never said anything to the woman but in his heart he knew that the members of the black market were starting to question their ambitious motives.

Panashe and Tapiwa were on the rooftop playing cards when the rest of the team appeared. "Panashe stop wasting your life with this guy. You need to go to school." Xolani said as he took his seat on one of the buckets on the roof.

"Stop hating Xolani. You angry we get missions when you are not around." Tapiwa replied.

"Hey guys let's take a mission together." Chipo suggested as she turned on her VCB. "I saw one today about a group of thugs that have been messing with people in the ghetto. Probably robbing people at night."

"Nope. That mission doesn't allow us to use our gear." Tapiwa refused and turned on his VCB and popped up a screen. "A haunted flat in Mbare . The mission says that several people have seen creatures in the building but the police said it was just a prank using a holograph."

"Wait a minute. I know that flat. It's next to the flat where Ron stays."

"Ron. As in Mr Reeds, Ron." Xolani asked.

"Yeah that Ron." Panashe answered.

"Well let's go then." Tapiwa stood up and started walking.

"Wait. Who is Ron?" Chipo asked but everyone was already leaving.

The team of five arrived at the flat and it was quiet and dark. The streets had few people walking by since it wasn't curfew yet. "How much are we getting for this because I am starting to doubt myself." Zviko said as she adjusted her top.

They walked into the flat some hoping to see something and others wanted it to be hoax. Every step they took the mood within the flat changed. The walls felt like they were squirming about as feint creaks could be heard.

Panashe was behind Tapiwa as he breathed heavily within his mask. He was also starting to have second doubts about the mission itself. "Uhm you guys. We should leave." Chipo suggested as she stopped. "We don't have any information for this mission. We shouldn't do this at all."

Her statements were made void when they turned around and realised the way was blocked by a wall. Panashe wimpered within his mask before they looked forward and started moving faster.

"Anomalies hate humans remember. We should have told Munashe about this." Zviko said but no one was listening as they went further down the corridor.

As they took the stairs to the next floor that's when they witnessed it. A humanoid creature that was moving from wall to wall. "Leave my home. Leave my home. Leave my home." The creature started growing thorns on its body and kept telling them to leave.

Panashe was the first one to launch his mechanical limb towards the creature. "We might as well as bag him." Tapiwa smiled as he accelerated towards the monster. The two males were throwing punches against the monster that was avoiding everything.

"Leave!" the monster roared as it knocked Panashe off his feet and tossed him to Tapiwa sending the knuckle heads into a room and closing it.

"Leave!" this time it directed its hostilities towards Xolani and the girls.

"No." Xolani said as he advanced forward.

"Ruvarashe was right. We needed long range gear." Zviko said and produced a few thick disks. "Let's go." She told Chipo who stood frozen by fear and lack of confidence. 'Darn it.'

The sound of impacting blows made Zviko turn around and she saw Xolani getting beaten. He couldn't even fight back. He was also thrown into the same room as the two before it was closed down.

"Leave."

"How about you open a door and we will go." Zviko said as she activated the disks.

"House Shumba."

"Wait you know us?" Zviko was confused.

"He said you would come. And I must kill you."

At those words Zviko tossed the disk which exploded as they landed close to the creature. The explosives did no harm to the creature as it charged towards the females and Chipo extended her left arm towards the creature and released six charged nails that electrocuted the creature making it flinch.

"Come on girl. Burn it."

Zviko also extended her arm and there was a hissing sound. She had the same gear as Ruvarashe and released a fire burst that made the creature retreat.

"It's gone." Zviko said as her flames disappeared.

Zviko was about to relax when something struck her back with the impactor sledgehammer. She flew several meters before crushing into the ground and Chipo was also struck before she could turn her head. She fainted on the spot and her body dropped down.

The creature took steps towards Zviko who couldn't even stand up. Its footsteps releasing thunderous sounds.

In the other room Panashe had his ear against the wall and when the footsteps got closer he nodded and Xolani punched a hole into the wall. Tapiwa managed to jump through the wall and touched the creature.

"Discharge!" he screamed out as he let the volts travel into the anomalies body. The creature roared as it was being fried.

He managed to stop the discharge before its backlash caught up with him and ran towards Zviko picking her up and heading for the window. Xolani went out and grabbed Chipo and followed them. Panashe was the one who covered them incase the creature recovered.

"You must die." It groaned as it came to its senses. Panashe tried to follow out the window but it was closed.

"Hey let me out."

"You will die."

"No freak. You will die." Panashe had no other choice but to charge towards the creature with all his might and let one of his mech limbs fly forward crashing into the creature that seemed to have slowed down.

His few punches he threw managed to land forcing the creature to retreat.

The exchange between Panashe and the anomaly became personal as the creature tried to kill him and he wanted to prove to himself that he could handle anything Nhamo was going to throw at him in the future.

He had managed to block and avoid power blows from the anomaly but his own strength was dwindling.

Panashe jumped backwards and sent his mech limb propelling forward punching the creature in the stomach. 'My gear is useless.' He thought to himself as he saw the anomaly recover.

"You lack training." the anomaly said and launched a fist towards Panashe who side stepped and propelled his own punch towards its face forcing it into the wall. The creature kicked Panashe and sent him flying through the wall and crashed into a wooden table in the next room. The creature refreshed itself before following Panashe. The male was crouching in the corner of the room.

"Anomalies can be killed too." he said as he launched both his mech limbs and the creature avoided both of them but didn't notice Panashe who jumped forward and plunged a damaged wooden plank into its head. The anomaly collapsed to the ground and Panashe collapsed too.

He was conscious his surroundings and watched the anomaly decompose. He took a picture of the creature with his VCB and proceeded to drag himself to a wall. 'I did it Jess. I killed my first anomaly on my own.' He smiled and sat still hoping for someone to come.