Past Encounters.
As sandstorm rages through a barren wasteland. A lone girl could be seen walking alone, tired, and filled with hunger. Battered by exhaustion, she slowly closed her eyes.
Slowly she accepted her impending fate. The cold seeped into her body. The girl embraced it as her consciousness faded into the abyss.
*This is it... I can finally rest...* She thought to herself.
A sinister voice could be heard calling out to her.
"Lillian...."
She jolted awake, headbutting a woman with light brown hair and cerulean eyes in the head.
"Ow, What the hell..." Chain said as she recoiled from the pain.
"S-sorry..." Lillian said as her head droops down.
Lillian scanned around the room, she is no longer in Tauron, she is inside a comfortable, more modern room. A clean wardrobe, a comfortable bed, a nice simple work desk, and all sorts of other creature comforts is within her reach.
It's a sharp contrast to her decrepit, shanty, and miserable living space back in Tauron.
Chain stands up after recoiling from the blunt force trauma she received.
"Food is ready Lilly" she says with a warm grin in her face.
"oh..." Lillian responded.
As she walks down the ship hallway heading to the dining area, she could see glimpses of the outside world. Windows scattered in the hallway provides her with a glamorous view, sparkling nebulas melding with the glint of faraway stars. It is such a beautiful view compared to the view of dust and rocks she used to saw back in her home planet.
*It's beautiful....* She thought to herself.
They entered a clean and simplistic yet modern dining room. The table is glimmering silver, the chair is light grey with black cushions, the room ambience is hued with cyan lighting. Chain is stirring a pot filling the room with a peculiar scent.
"Here, I made a soup out of canned gloshrooms, Neptunian sardines, and pineapples. Sorry... neither of us knew how to cook... so we just dump anything into a pot and call it a day..." Chain said sheepishly.
Chain laid down the bowl of "Soup" in front of Lillian.
The "Soup" hue is glowing with different spectrums of purple with bits of brown and yellow slathered around in the broth. It's consistency is thicker than goo. It also emits an "Unique" odor reminiscent of perfume mixed with garlic. Its truly a bizarre creation born from the deepest pit of hell. However to Lillian, this is gourmet, she never ate something so warm and exploding with "flavours" before.
Chain watches as she gulped down the concoction of mish mashed ingredients smiling at how hearty her appetite is. Lilian finishes the bowl with a slight smile in her face, she had never ate something this "delicious" before.
"So~ How is it ?" Chain asked, tilting her head slightly. She seemed amused by the satisfied look Lillian emitted.
"I-it's good..." Lillian said with a slight smile.
"I have never eaten something this warm... something this delicious..." Lillian added. Her memory of her dinner if, she is lucky to even have any is filled with the image of stale bread, rotten meat and partially molding raw root vegetables.
__________
Lillian recalled the memories of her life. The memory of the best meal she ever had. It was when she is only 12 years old, abandoned by her parents, she walked in the vast rocky plains of Tauron. Lillian was pulling scrap metals just like any other day. Starvation seeped in as she knelt to the ground. She crutches her stomach, wishing the pain would go away.
The young Lillian then scanned the rocks and sands around her, hoping to find maybe there will be a morsel left by travelling scavengers. It is by luck she manages to spot a sliver of glistening metal, poking slightly over the ground. She hurriedly dug it to find a treasure, something that is precious in this barren wasteland. It's a can of tomatoes, produced within the Proxima Centauri solar system.
Lillian, whilst not knowing the content nor how to read the label, knows that this tiny tin is her savior. In her world canned food is a luxury that most can't even afford. She hurriedly finds a jagged rock, sharp enough to puncture the can. With what little strength she had she slammed the can over and over again until finally, the can of tomatoes broke open spilling the content to the ground.
She grabbed the scattered and mush pieces of tomatoes from the ground and ate them. The tomatoes is covered in sand but, this is enough for her. Tears of joy slowly fell from her eye as she never ate something as delicious and fresh as the canned tomatoes the tangy and sweet acidic taste is addicting. It's the first ever meal that truly makes her feel alive.
__________
In the present Lillian enjoyed her little meal whilst tears of joy slowly fell from her eyes. Even though the messy dish is considered vile by any other sane beings for Lillian, this dish is perfection for her. Chain chuckled a bit. She enjoys the pleasant honesty of Lillian, grateful for anything they gave even though she knows their food isn't exactly "delicious".
"Once we reached our destination I will buy you a proper meal" Chain spoke smiling gently.
"Chain... we don't even have much money..." Leo said as he enters the dining room.
"Huh ?" Chain spoke in confusion.
"The Tauron government took all of our cellestial dimes from this ship... we only had the ones we carry when we stay in Tauron" Leo said.
"WHAT !?" Chain exclaimed in surprise.
"Did they take my stash as well ?" Chain asked as she grips Leo's shirt.
"Yeah, there is only one left..." Leo said as he pulled up a packet of jerky. In the package there is a big label saying made with one hundred percent starboar meat.
"NOOOO...." Chain yelled in despair.
"At least one is-" Chain stopped mid sentence as rage boiled within her. Leo is there casually eating the starboar jerky.
"LEO THAT'S MY PRECIOUS JERKY HOW COULD YOU !" she yelled in anger.
Lillian startled at her shouting, stood there in silence. She is scared of what will happen to her if she tried to intervene.
"GIVE IT BACK YOU MONSTER" she yelled as she violently shook Leo's shirt.
"You are a glutton, think of this as your new diet program" he said dryly as he finished the jerky.
"I WILL KILL FUCKING YOU !" Chain anger exploded as she shook Leo more violently.
Lillian, still not used to the wild temper of Chain is baffled.
*Is this behaviour normal ?...* She asked to herself not knowing how to act in this situation.
"Oh I almost forgot, Lilly your bow is quite old isn't it ? Would you like me to give you one of my pistol ? It's a better weapon to protect yourself with" Chain asked as she snapped out of her violent rage.
"Oh... I don't know... the bow is the only thing I know how to use..." Lillian replied.
"Oh well... we don't have any arrows in this ship..." Chain spoke with a bothered look in her face.
"I'll teach you how to use a pistol later but for now take this" Chain spoke as she pulled out a switch knife.
Lillian grabbed the knife gently. She had seen and used knives before, but she had never seen a knife like this before.
"To prime it press this button here..." Chain said as she gently guides Lillian's hand.
The blade sprung out in an instant. Lillian is astonished by this alien gear.
"This should make a good emergency weapon for a while until we got you better gears." Chain said as her face radiated a warm smile.
"Why would I need gears though ?..." Lillian asked.
"Oh yeah we haven't told you, we are bounty hunters" Chain responded as she polished her gun.
"Bounty... Hunters ?..." Lillian murmured.
"Yeah, We basically took job request or what the interstellar government call them, bounties for money. Because the universe is so large the military and security can't cover everything so they required people like us to do the smaller task" Chain answered.
"It can be anything from hunting creatures, gathering items, to even hunting down criminals". she added.
"So... you two work for the interstellar government ?..." Lillian asked curiously.
"Not really bounty hunters are not government members. We are more of a freelance agent. Me and Leo specialized in hunting down criminals. Those tasks gave the highest reward and its super fun" Chain added with a big grin.
*They hunt criminals ?* The thought raced through her mind as she is in disbelief of what she just heard.
The same person who had beaten countless of guards to a pulp just because she is "bored" is claiming that they hunt down criminals. In Lillian mind such thought is baffling, almost oxymoron even as, a person as violent as Chain should be THE criminal in her mind.
*Chain is frightening...* She thought to herself conflicted about trusting her.
"Hey Leo, can we spare some of our remaining fund to buy more starboar jerky ?" Chain said.
"No" Leo replied coldly.
"Come on you ate my last jerky..." Chain said as she started to poke Leo's cheek.
"You're annoying" Leo sneered.
"SHOW SOME RESPECT FOR YOUR OLDER SISTER GODDAMNIT' Chain suddenly exploded in anger and is now hitting Leo who's just ignoring her.
*I guess she is not completely bad, I can get used to this life... at the very least I won't be hungry again" Lillian thought in her mind slightly smiling yet still cautious.
Lillian glanced at Leo who had not treated her very well since their meeting.
*I can't read him at all...* She thought to herself.
__________
Time passed as they slowly drifted through the dazzling space landscape, a huge white structure as big as a moon came into view. The structure is made with the combination of polymers, metals, and glass, a symphony of technology alien to Lillian. All around the structure an assortment of different spaceships can be seen parked, travelling in, and travelling out of it. A huge hologram can be seen which displays "Welcome to Space Station RB26".
Lillian gasped in amazement as she gazed the structure from the cockpit. This is the first time she laid her eyes at such a massive manmade structure. For as long as she existed, the only truly massive structure she ever saw was the mountains of Tauron.
"We arrived" Leo said in his usual disinterested tone.
"Ooh..." Chain muttered as she started to daydream about buying a starboar jerkies.
"Don't even think about it..." Leo retorted.
"Oh, come on Leo... Just 1 package please ?..." Chain asked.
"No, those thing costed 100 cellestial dimes" Leo snarked.
Chain gave up with a disgruntled face. Despite her pleas, Chain had to give up as their funds is limited and she knew that the ship supplies is more important. That still doesn't change her outlandish craving for the pricey snack.
"Um... Chain... is that our destination ?..." Lillian asked while pointing at the structure.
"Yes it is" Chain replied.
"I-is it really made by humans ?..." the young woman asked again.
"Yes it is, pretty amazing right ?" Chain said whilst emitting a big smile.
Lillian nods in amazement as the Nebula III approaches the docking area.
"We docked" Leo told them.
The three of them stepped out of the Nebula's door. Lillian stood in astonishment, never before she had seen a space filled with the hustle and bustle of life. She could see people walking, smiling, laughing, chatting all without a care in the world. The world outside of Tauron had truly captured her heart.
"Lilly~, let's go we have a lot to show you" Chain spoke in a soft voice, breaking Lillian's immersion of the colorful world she got dragged into.
"Oh... Yeah..." Lillian replied still processing her thoughts on such a lively place.
The three of them started to walk towards a platform with a large hologram billboard that had "railway from Dock 8b to Market Central". As they stood on the platform Lillian gaze is fixated on an incoming vehicle. The vehicle is plated in white with red and blue stripes on the side and appears to be levitating from the track below it. The vehicle appears to be very long.
"Chain... is that a spaceship ?..." Lillian asked as she pointed at the vehicle.
"Ah, no this is what we call a Magrail, think of it as a long space ship but it can only move within a track inside space stations" Chain answered.
"Magrail..." Lillian murmured taking note of everything she learnt.
The three of them boarded the vessel. Unknown to our trio of adventurers, shadowy figures could be seen stalking their every moves.
"Boss, we had encountered them. The Scrylla siblings they are back" one of the shadowy figure spoke towards a little device.
"The Scrylla siblings ?, well well well, aren't we lucky. Are they accompanied by anyone ?" a voice could be heard from the little device.
"It seems like they are accompanying a young woman who looked frail. It seems like she is part of their crew." the figure asked the device.
"I see she will be our main objective go send more people to follow them I will meet you boys in a bit" the device responded.
"Understood boss" the figure replied.
In a dimly lit room, a figure can be seen placing a similar looking device at the top of a table. The figure can be heard with a sinister chuckle as he turns around holding a portrait of the siblings in his hand.
"Finally, you two appeared. After one entire year of no trace. I can now have my revenge..." said the figure with a low pitched male voice.
__________
The Market Central, a huge area within the east wing of the space station. A bustling spherical space, divided by several layers of flat surface. Hundreds of thousands of merchants had called this place home. Built with high tempered diamond and quartz polymer, this sphere also showcases the beauty of a bright green planet outside called Florin, an unique gas giant that is somewhat not affected by the star's gravity.
Lillian walked closely behind Leo and Chain as they shopped for supplies. She saw all sorts of things, displayed for sale by the merchants. She saw giant weapons, beautiful bows, variety of food stalls, and even a giant alien looking skull.
Lillian witnessed as Leo bought 2 containers worth of canned food in front of her very eyes.
"D-do we need to carry that large thing ?...." Lillian asked, slightly shaken as back in Tauron she had to drag heavy metals. However, the containers here are roughly half as big as Lillian's house.
"Yes, you need to carry it for us" Leo said sarcastically.
Lillian is terrified and started to rethink her life decisions.
"LEO, DON'T SPOOK HER LIKE THAT" Chain shouted.
"Just ignore him Lilly, the containers is usually delivered to our ships directly using a drone" Chain added, clearing the false statement released by Leo earlier.
Lillian sighed in relief as she doesn't have to relive the nightmare of dragging heavy metals back in Tauron. Leo can be seen just mindlessly staring at nowhere with his usual emotionless face.
Chain then spotted something that causes Leo to facepalm in disdain. In front of their very eyes are packages of light brown strips of meat packaged inside blue painted aluminium foils. Chain slowly hovers to the stall slowly as if she is flying.
Leo immediately grabbed her arm, tethering her back to the ground and said "No"
Chain growled but gave up really fast as tempting as the morsel is, they simply don't have enough money to afford it.
"Let's head to the IGO bounty centre..." Leo spoke with his usual uninterested expression and tone dragging the depressed Chain.
As Chain is being dragged unceremoniously by Leo she saw Lillian following them slowly. A faint smile slowly formed in her face as she stood up and walked beside Leo.
"She really does remind me of her..." Chain murmured to Leo.
"Don't start..." Leo retorted with a hint of anger.
"She is clumsy, and aloof from her rough home. But if you shed the walls around her she is very genuine and a curious soul just like Lillith." Chain continued.
"No she isn't.. she is not like her..." Leo angrily gritted his teeth in response to Chain's word.
Chain looked at his younger brother, her faint smile turned melancholic as she looked down at the floor.
"I miss her Leo..." Chain spoke softly.
"I know... I will make sure they pay dearly..." Leo replied coldly whilst gritting his teeth. A tinge of red hue could be seen in his usual cerulean eyes.
"Don't... You are not in this alone..." Chain responded as her expression turned to that of anger. She bit her lower lip as blood trickled down a little bit. A tinge of red hue could also be seen in her eyes.
"I won't let you go down that path Leo" Chain spoke. A burning determination could be felt in her words.
Leo silently glared at the floor, unresponsive to Chain's response.
Lillian who followed behind them, felt a chill down her spine as their bloodlust is palpable in the air surrounding them.
*What ?...* Lillian survival instincts kicked in, she unconsciously reached for the switch knife in her back pocket, terrified and unaware of what had just transpired.
__________
Slowly they entered a section that is smaller than Market Central. Guards, and heavily armed people moving around in a frenzy. A big logo with the word IGO could be seen plastered behind a receptionist counter. The trio approached an empty monitor situated beside the receptionist desk.
Chain touches its screen and an interface appears where she decided to push a large letter that said "available bounties". Lillian looks at the interface from behind Chain trying to decipher the letters whilst Leo just stood there crossing his arms whilst leaning against the wall.
"Well, here are the available bounties" Chain told Leo urging him to see.
"Uhm... what does it says ?..." Lillian asked curiously.
"Oh, its mostly just request to escort someone or deliver some things. However..." Chain spoke as she is reading one peculiar bounty with a grin in her face.
"We do have one criminal bounty, and he's quite a familiar face" Chain smirked as the screen shows a picture of a man with a handlebar moustache and a scar on his forehead.
======================
"Wanted dead or alive: Koch .M.P".
"Rewards: 5000 Cellestial Dimes".
"Last sighted: Igloo IX".
======================
"Leo, he was last spotted at a planet within this solar system" Chain gleefully spoke as she printed the portrait of the man.
Leo inspected the printed portrait while Lillian ponders about their job.
"Um... Chain... are we supposed to fight that person ?...." Lillian asked curiously.
"Well, I'll fight him. You and Leo can rest easy" Chain replied.
"A-are you going to kill him ?..." Lillian asked again with audible fear in her voice.
"Not really, me and Leo never went out of our way to kill anyone" Chain said with a smile.
"Unless it's them..." she added as her face suddenly turned serious for a second.
Chill shivered down Lillian's spine, her expression widened in alarm as she felt the bloodlust unleashed by Chain. She instinctively slowly stepped back, wary of the strong murderous aura.
Chain took a deep breath after witnessing the palpable fear forming in Lillian's face. She forced a smile in order to not scare her any further.
"Sorry, I was just reminiscing about..." She paused for a bit with a look of longing.
"Something, Anyways let's go, I nee- I mean we need more money !" Chain cheerfu.
Leo only sighed as he could read her mind. She wants more money to buy starboar jerkies, it's so obviously written in her face.
The trio walked towards the magrail station preparing to embark on their next journey However, before they could even reach the station Chain and Leo felt something is amiss.
"Leo" she spoke.
"Yeah, I noticed. There's nine of them" Leo replied.
*nine of what ?* Lillian thought to herself as she scanned her surroundings only to find people walking left and right, minding their own businesses.
"Lillian, stay close to us" Chain said in a low voice as she pulled Lillian close to her. A gesture that displayed Chain's protective side.
Lillian can only nod as she feels something is wrong. Multiple people slowly approaches them from the crowds mirroring their steps all the way towards the magrail station.
Chain in one swift motion pulls out one of her guns and pointed it at a person who appeared to be reading a newspaper right beside her. Leo also pulled out his sword as Lillian hides behind them.
"Don't move" Chain told the man.
*W-what is happening ?* Lillian thought to herself as she is confused by what had transpired.
"Tell your buddies to come out or I'll blow your brains out" Chain said with a sadistic smirk.
"Well, I didn't expect you to catch up so quickly. What gave me away ?" the man asked.
"Nothing in particular except you look just like your brother. Heckler Messerschmitt Payne" Chain spoke.
"Well, well well I wouldn't expect less from a world class bounty hunter. Chain Scrylla" Heckler responded.
"Save me the flattery and let's get straight to the point, Where is your brother ?" Chain asked with her grin growing wider.
"Oh ? are you going to capture him again ?" Heckler said as he makes a gesture with his hand.
Dozens of armed men suddenly jumped and pointed their weapons at the trio surrounding them. The commotion spooked everyone as people started to run for their safety leaving the trio, Heckler and his goons as the only living being within the magrail platform.
"We are the only ones in this platform now" Chain spoke, still pointing her gun directly at Heckler's head.
"Indeed" Heckler responded with a grin in his face.
"Last chance, where is Koch ?" Chain sternly asked.
"Oh, he is here with us..." Heckler said.
Chain suddenly moved her arm that's pointing at Heckler. In one quick motion she blocked an incoming sword swing with his pistol. A man wearing a hood could be seen holding the sword. The impact from the clash of weapons exposes the man to be bald, has a handlebar moustache and a scar on his forehead.
"Hello Koch~" Chain smirked.
"Can it Scrylla, I have a score to settle with you" Koch responded angrily.
Heckler immediately followed up his brother's attack by pulling out a submachinegun and started firing at Chain. With acrobatic flexibility she jumped and used Koch's sword as a platform to launch herself to the air dodging the bullets.
In a swift motion she kicked Koch's head from the back stumbling him to the ground. She followed up by swiftly approaching the reloading Heckler with brutal speed. She then unleashed a powerful kick to his face sending him flying to a pillar.
"Ohh ? I expected more from the Payne mafia family" Chain purred taunting them both.
The two brother stood up groaning from the pain of her powerful kicks.
"I WILL KILL YOU, YOU BITCH" Koch said as he recklessly charged at Chain.
On the other hand, the goons started to launch an attack to Leo and Lillian. Leo with his usual unamused look started fighting and took down a few goons with one swing from his blunt sword whilst blocking gunshots with it at the same time.
A panicked Lillian separated from Leo and ran around dodging the goons that came after her as she doesn't have any arrows to defend herself.
*What mess did I got myself into...* Lillian thought to herself as she narrowly dodges sword swings, adrenaline is pumping through her veins.
Chain with a wide grin, enjoyed the brutality she inflicted while handling the two brothers. Some of their goons jumped in to assist their boss but they got knocked out in one hit. The mix of gunshots and swords clashing had triggered the alarm of the space station.
"Well now that can't be good, the IGO guards will be approaching soon" Heckler said annoyed as he points his gun at Chain.
"Are you sure you should be worrying about that ?" Chain replied as she performed an axe kick disarming Heckler before landing a punch at his gut, crumpling him to the floor. Heckler clutches his abdomen in agony.
Koch took a swing at her but she ducked and swept his leg causing him to fall. Chain followed with a strong uppercut. She then aimed her pistol at the ceiling lights, shooting the support tethers. The light fell onto a group of gun wielding goons knocking them out.
"Come on now, keep me entertained for longer" Chain grinned.
"BASTARD" Koch yelled with anger as he lunged at chain with his fists clenched. His movement is unsteady from the uppercut he suffered.
Chain then kicks down his fist and lands a kick on Koch's head with her second leg.
"Now now, your moves are predictable. You really disappoint me Koch" Chain taunted with a smug smirk.
Chain started to beat down Koch kicking, punching and elbowed him all whilst grinning gleefully. Koch could only raised his arms, trying to block the incoming onslaught but it's no use. Koch started coughing blood beaten and battered heavily by the sadistic woman.
Koch's eyes gazed around and noticed his brother in the background. Heckler is behind Chain holding someone in his hands.
Koch lets out a small chuckle.
"What's so funny ?" Chain asked.
"Look behind you..." Heckler spoke as he coughed up some more blood.
Chain glanced to Heckler's direction. Her eyes widened in horror as she witnessed Heckler holding Lillian with a pistol pointing at her head. His hand covered her mouth as Lillian struggles to escape.
"Lillian !" Chain screamed.
Koch lets out a triumphant laughter.
"LEO WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING" Chain yelled in anger.
"Shut up, Can't you see I am busy ?" Leo replied in an annoyed tone as he swung his blunt sword at a bunch of goons.
"Let's go Koch, we got what we need" Heckler said as they limped to the magrail.
"Just use your rocket booster damnit Leo" Chain retorted as she chased after them.
"I ran out of Pyrites, the rocket booster is useless" Leo replied as he swung his unwieldy weapon at a pillar causing it to fall onto some goons before blocking another barrage of gunshots.
"Damnit" Chain murmured as she continued running.
As she is about to reach the brothers she is blocked by more goons.
"Well we can't allow you to chase our bosses" a goon sneered.
"Yeah you will have to play with us for a while" another goon added as multiple grinning goons with weapons in hand surrounded her and started blasting.
Chain gritted her teeth as with one powerful leap she recklessly charged at the goons. Some of the bullets grazed her, trickling blood to her limbs.
"OUT OF MY WAY !" She yelled as she charged through the line of armed goons and started to take them out in brutal efficiency.
"Is she a monster ?" One of the goons stammered before he fell from Chain's powerful punch.
Chain managed to enter the train just before the doors closed.
Leo sighed as he watched his older sister charged in alone as the train left the station. He readied his sword against the goons still standing in front of him.
__________
A rage blinded Chain is dashing inside the magrail train. Waves of goons swarmed her train car as they engage in close combat.
Chain grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall and shot it creating a smokescreen. She then plunged into the smoke and started to use her instinct and reflexes to hit.
"She is a monster !" One of the goons yelled before he saw a glimpse of someone's elbow. In a flash he got knocked out.
"Prepare to shoot !" A goon yelled as they lined up at one end of the train aiming at the smokescreen.
In a flash Chain emerged from the smoke. The goons open fire as a flurry of bullets filled the train. However, Chain picked up a piece of metal from the blitz and use it as a makeshift shield as she charged forward and took down all of the goons.
She barged into the next train car however, she is stopped in her tracks. Chain emitted a small growl as she saw Heckler with a manic smile pointing his gun at Lillian's head. Lillian stood there frozen in fear as she knows that one sudden movement and it will be all over.
"Well well, look who finally caught up to us..." Heckler snarked while panting heavily from the pain and exhaustion.
"Cowards" Chain spoke as she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Blood dripped from her arms from the bullets that had grazed her earlier.
"I'm sorry to break it to you but we are mafia members. We don't play clean" Heckler replied with a chuckle.
Koch who is waiting beside the door frame then tied Chain's hands.
"Follow us and your little friend won't be harmed" Heckler sneered as the magrail stopped at the docks.
Chain lets out a small growl of defiance as Koch nudged her shoulder.
Slowly the four of them left the train car and walked to a huge spaceship.
"You two imbeciles better finish me off now or, you will regret this" Chain remarked with a defiant snarl as they entered the ship.
Koch angrily clutched his hands and sucker punched her. Chain flinched from the hit as she coughed from the impact.
"Oh, I will make sure to finish you after I make you suffer like a dog" Koch coldly replied, glaring at Chain.
"You will regret this" Chain smirked defiantly.
"You think this is funny ?" Koch angrily responded with another punch.
Chain face contorted in pain from the punch before returning to a smug grin.
"Koch, not now. We need to get out of here first the IGO is on their way to stop us." Heckler interjected.
Koch fuming in anger, held his urges to continue his assault.
"Coward" Chain snarked. Koch fists clenched hard trying to ignore her taunts.
Heckler and Koch's underlings then started to swarm into the ship.
"Hurry let's take off, they captured some of our men. The IGO guard is coming" An underling yelled.
The spaceship slowly roared to life, the afterburners igniting as it slowly took off from the docking bay. A platoon of IGO guards could be seen approaching alarmingly close.
"HALT YOU ARE ALL UNDER AREST !" The guard captain yelled as the platoon shot at the ship.
A gunfight slowly ensues as Heckler, Koch, Chain and Lillian retreated deeper to the ship.
"Tch, they always responded very fast" Koch complained as they throw Chain into a room.
Outside the ship doors closed just before the guards could board and they took off from the space station with Chain and Lillian inside.
Koch, clutching his abdomen because of the injuries Chain inflicted stared down at the now trapped Chain.
"I will beat you up until you beg for mercy" Koch said as he now landed a powerful kick to her abdomen. Chain flinched in pain as Koch mercilessly launched an onslaught of kicks and punches.
Lillian's eyes widened in horror as she witnessed Chain getting brutally beaten up by Koch. Heckler let's out a sinister chuckle as he watched his injured yet agitated brother landing out blow after blow to Chain.
"THIS IS FOR EARLIER !" Koch yelled as he landed a powerful kick.
"AND THIS IS FOR ONE YEAR AGO !" Koch yelled again as he continued his onslaught. Chain started to cough up some blood.
"And this... this is for all the humiliation you caused us..." Koch coldly said as he pulled Chain's pistol from the holster and shot her in the abdomen.
Chain lets out a silent gasp, she started to bleed profusely.
"CHAIN !" Lillian screamed. She was about to move towards her but she is stopped by Heckler.
"Hey hey miss, don't forget I am still here. If you do that again I will blow your brains out" Heckler threatened as he held Lillian's hand tightly whilst rubbing his pistol on her head.
*This is bad, I need to do something to escape...* Lillian thought to herself as she desperately scanned around the room. Then she felt something hard in her back pocket, It was the knife Chain gave to her earlier.
"Koch don't kill her yet, I also need to have my payback for earlier" Heckler spoke in a amused tone.
However Heckler made a mistake she loosened his grip on Lillian's hand. Lillian quickly reached for her back pocket, she opened the blade and stabbed Heckler's hip.
"ARGH" Heckler screamed in agony.
Koch quickly aimed the gun towards Lillian however Chain took this opportunity and swept his legs causing him to miss and fell down.
"LILLIAN TOSS THE KNIFE TO ME AND RUN !" Chain shouted.
Lillian tossed the knife and it landed in front of Chain. Lillian then bolted out of the room leaving the three of them.
"DAMNIT" Heckler yelled as he shot and missed at the running Lillian.
He was about to give chase before a knife flew in front of him landing on the wall halting him.
"Oh I told you two, if you don't kill me you will regret it" Chain spoke with an amused tone and a large grin formed on her face.
Chain freed herself from her bind while Heckler is too focused on Lillian escaping. She clutched the bullet wound in her abdomen as she stood against Heckler.
Koch then slowly rose from the floor gripping Chain's pistol and unsheathed his short sword. The atmosphere is thick with bloodlust as the two injured men is preparing to confront an injured beast.
__________
Lillian is spotted by Heckler and Koch's underlings as she ran out of the room. She ran as gun shot erupted from behind her. Bullet whizzed past her in a chaotic symphony of violent rage.
*This is bad I need to hide...* Lillian said in her mind as she continued running through the hallway.
"Halt !" A goon commanded as he appeared in front of Lillian, pointing his gun at her.
Lillian in one swift motion slid under him and tackled his leg as he pulled the trigger, missing her and stumbling to the floor. Lillian quickly got up and entered the room beside her with the word "Armory" spelt above the door. In an instant she shut the door and barricaded herself using crates.
The armory door is shaking as the goons tries to breach in but to no avail. The heavy metal door is too robust to be broken by sheer muscle alone.
Lillian panted in exhaustion. She is safe for now but she knew her safety is only temporary. She needed to find a way to fend for herself. She looked around for items she can use. The room is filled with an assortment of weapons like guns and swords however, these weapons are too unwieldy for her as she had not trained on how to use them.
A faint smile formed in Lillian's face up as she noticed something. It's a bunch of neatly stacked arrow inside a crate. A label said "explosive materials" is visible on the crate.
*I can't read this but I know these are arrows. I can use these* Lillian thought to herself as she pulled out her bow feeling a surge of determination.
She then laid her eyes on the crate next to the arrow crates. She saw a lot of round object that looks throwable. She picked one up and noticed it's slightly heavy. She picked some up thinking it could be used as a projectile to fend for herself.
The door of the armory started to shake more violently. The guards outside had picked up a breaching tool and is breaking the door steadily.
With a cold yet filled with fear eyes, Lillian drew her bow with the arrow towards the door. Lillian knew this is the moment, the decider of her fate, the crossroads that determined whether she will survive for another day or will she perish.
The door faltered under the constant bashing of the goons. Lillian released her arrow as the door fell. The arrow made contact with one of the goon's armor and sparks immediately surrounds them as the arrows exploded.
The explosion had knocked out all of the goons that swarmed the armory. Lillian eyes widened in shock as she pieced out that the arrows she grabbed are explosive. She took at the knocked out guards and sighed in relief. They are only unconscious, she didn't outright murder them.
Her temporary moment of relief is shattered though as some grunts heard the commotion and saw her standing over a bunch of unconscious guard.
Without any warning they started to open fire and hit Lillian in the hip. Lillian croaked in pain as she hid from the gunfire in the armory. She quickly drew another arrow and peeked for a little bit shooting it. The arrow landed on the walls beside the grunts knocking them to the ground.
Lillian used this opportunity to fire another arrow more precisely knocking the grunts unconscious. She limped onwards as she ripped some of the guard clothes in order to craft a makeshift bandage.
*I need to head back to Chain, she is my only hope of escaping here...* She thought to herself as she wrapped the ripped cloths at her bullet wound.
She drew her bow again as she heard more footsteps heading towards her. She released the arrow as the grunts came around the corner knocking them down. Each explosions is strong enough to knock people back but weak enough to not straight up kill them.
As she turned around the corner she saw the room where Chain is at. She saw another group of goons heading towards the room from the end of the hallway. She figured out that the round objects she picked up is most likely explosives as well.
She grabbed one from her pocket and analyzed it and noticed that there is a button. She tapped it and throws it to the alleyway. The object touched the floor and immediately exploded in with more force than her arrows. It even punched a hole through the hallway walls.
The guards got knocked back from the blast as the ceilings collapsed. They were standing at quite a significant distance from the blast so none of them were seriously injured. Lillian breathes a sigh of relief as she approached the room and entered it.
__________
The atmosphere is thick with bloodlust as two injured men prepared to confront an injured beast. An intense standoff between three people had started after Lillian left.
Heckler took the first move as he open fire using his pistol. Chain ducked as Koch came in and took a swing at her with her short sword dodging both attacks.
In one swift motion Chain clenched her fist and landed a hard uppercut at Koch knocking him back and made him drop his weapon.
Koch fired again, grazing Chain's head as she took her pistol from the floor. In one quick motion she shot Heckler and grazed his arm in return.
"You suck at aiming Heckler..." Chain taunted while panting from exertion.
Heckler silently gritted his teeth as he glared at her.
"You aren't exactly a sharpshooter as well Scrylla..." He taunted back as they slowly circled around each other.
Koch who got dazed by the uppercut slowly stood up. He grabbed his sword that is laying on the ground.
Heckler fired his pistol. Chain reacted by jumping to the side dodging the bullet however, Koch utilize this and rushed her.
His blade clashed with the back of Chain's pistol as she drew her other pistol and shot it to his hip slightly grazing it.
*Damnit... My vision is all blurry...* Chain thought to herself. The damage she sustained is immense. Multiple bullets had grazed her, a bullet is lodged in her abdomen, and she suffered from bruises from Koch's relentless beating.
Koch then landed a solid punch on her abdomen making her grip weakened causing him to be able to parry her pistol away with his sword. Koch did a follow up swing but Chain narrowly dodged it by jumping backwards.
Koch continued forward and did a downward slash as Heckler shot his entire magazine at the same time. One bullet hits her in the waist causing Chain to knelt down in pain.
Before the sword could land on her however she reflexively raised her pistol blocking the sword.
Chain knew she needed to end this fast as her strength slowly wavered from her wounds and exhaustion so, in one swift motion, she clenched her fist and landed a powerful punch to Koch's lower jaw.
Knowing that Heckler is still reloading she elbowed the still dazed Koch in his abdomen, causing his jaw to widened as he felt all of the air from his Lung got exhaled.
She then followed this up with a powerful round kick to the side of his head, slamming him to the ground hard. Darkness consumed Koch as he got knocked unconscious from the combo.
Heckler finished reloading as she shot at Chain multiple times but, she narrowly dodged them by ducking down and shot three times at Heckler. One of the bullet hits him square in the shoulder causing him to drop his pistol.
"Argh..." Heckler winced in pain as he clutched his injured shoulder.
"The close range specialist is down... Now only for the mastermind..." Chain murmured as she glared at the injured Heckler.
A sudden explosion interrupted them as the wall beside Chain is breached staggering her for a bit.
Heckler took advantage of the situation and grabbed the switch knife from the wall with his uninjured hand and charged at her.
He aimed at her chest, thrusting in a swift stabbing motion. However Chain's reflexes honed from years of combat took over as she quickly leaned to the side dodging it completely.
"How nice of you to come close..." Chain murmured.
Swiftly Chain used Heckler's arm as a support and jumped while grappling onto it. In one swift motion she transformed the momentum into a kick to the side of his head.
Heckler succumbed from the powerful impact and fell.
Chain clutching her injured abdomen, stood victorious in the middle of the room.
However she does not celebrate her victory. Slowly she limped towards the exit bleeding and battered.
*Lillian... I need to make sure she is safe...* It's the only thing that raced through her mind.
However before she even reached the door a limping Lillian entered the room. Chain breathes a sigh of relief as she leaned on the room wall, slowly collapsing.
"Chain !" Lillian shouted as she limped to her.
She knelt down in front of Chain's smiling form.
"Why do you risk yourself to rescue me ?..." Lillian asked with a confused tone. She doesn't understand why Chain would recklessly risk her life to save someone she just met yesterday at a desolate planet.
Chain chuckled slightly at her question.
"Tell me why ?..." Lillian pushed her questions again as she took some ripped cloth and bandaged Chain's wound.
"You reminded me of my sister, Lillith... she acted just like you... although she is not as aloof..." Chain slowly said as her eyes shows an expression of longing.
"You even have similar names..." Chain melancholically remarked.
Lillian showed a surprised expression as Chain softly continued her story. She listened closely whilst treating her wounds.
"But why ?... it's illogical... why would you save someone you just met yesterday ?... even if she reminded you of your sister ?..." Lillian firmly asked while clenching the ripped cloth.
"Because... I hate seeing innocent peoples suffering from the cruelties of this universe... That day when Leo discovered you in Tauron... it sank my heart..." Chain responded softly.
"The pain... the memories from the past... everything got dug up... me and Leo... we both watched Lillith's death... unable to do anything..." Chain murmured as her face contorted to one of pure sadness.
Lillian is shocked that Chain revealed this more vulnerable side to her.
Chain then coughed violently from her wounds. Lillian panicked at the sight. She knew Chain needed medical care but she doesn't have any medical knowledge.
"Stay still Chain... you are in no shape to continue..." Lillian said with a worried expression. Lillian wiped the single tear falling from Chain's eye.
Chain's expression lightened, a smile faintly formed as she slowly closed her eyes.
"You really are just like Lillith..." Chain whispered weakly before her eyelids completely shutted.
"Chain ? Chain wake up... Chain ?" Lillian said as she shook her, desperately trying to wake her up.
"No... NO !" She started to tear up as Chain didn't respond. Her still form looked very peaceful.
Out of nowhere a violent jolt shook the spaceship as it stopped in space.
"W-what ?..." Lillian stammered. Tears still falling from her face as she thought Chain had peacefully passed on.
A moment passed as she heard loud footsteps heading towards the room. Lillian eyes narrowed as she drew her bow and aimed it at the entrance, prepared to face whatever adversary is coming towards her.
Her tears dried up as her resolve is reflected on her face. She must survive, she won't let Chain die in vain.
A lone figure walked into the room. Lillian without hesitation fired her explosive arrow. BANG, a loud explosion erupted as her arrow connects. She drew her bow again prepared to fire a second arrow.
An unamused sigh could be heard.
"Really now ?..." A familiar disgruntled male voice could be heard.
Lillian's eyes widened as she recognize that voice. She lowered her weapon gently as the smoke cleared revealing a huge and unwieldy sword used to block her explosive arrow. The sword is pulled up by the figure.
"Leo... I'm sorry Chain is..." Lillian whimpered as tear started to slowly form from her eyes.
Leo ignored her and walked to Chain who is slumped on the wall.
"How long are you going to play dead ?..." Leo spoke with his usual unamused tone.
With a deep sigh he kicked her bullet wound in her abdomen.
Chain jolted awake from the sheer pain from the kick.
"OW, YOU BRUTE WHY CAN'T YOU BE MORE CONSIDERATE TO A WOUNDED PERSON !?" Chain yelled as her moment of respite is disturbed.
"LET ME BE OVERDRAMATIC FOR ONCE GODDAMNIT" She snarled, surrounded by an intense anger aura.
Lillian eyes widened in shock seeing Chain awake. Her tears of sorrow transformed with the tear of joy as she inched closer and hugged Chain.
"I-I thought..." Lillian stammered as she started to sob.
Chain is taken aback by her sincerity and slowly hugged her back.
"There there. A little wound like this won't kill me" Chain said softly slightly amused.
Leo stepped on her wound
Leo just scoffed as he leaned to the wall and crossed his hands.
"Wait... how do you even reach here Leo ? we are deep in space" Chain questioned.
"I hitched a ride with the IGO securities after I help them with the goons back in the space station..." Leo responded while fiddling with his phone.
Groups of soldiers and security personnel could be seen walking past the hallway.
"This entire spaceship is being secured..." Leo spoke.
Chain breathes a sigh of relief.
"Good... I can't move my muscles at all... the fight had drained me completely..." The female bounty hunter said as she relaxed.
Leo slowly stepped on her wound as she relaxed. Chain's body convulsed in pain as her brother secretly took a sadistic pleasure in tormenting her.
"OW OW OW" Chain winced.
"LEO STOP THAT !" Lillian suddenly yelled as she pushed his legs away. She gritted her teeth in anger.
Lillian fists clenched as she is prepared to defend her new elder sister figure. Chain is surprised to see this protective side of Lillian. Leo face is twisted to that of slight anger as he looked away.
"See Leo, he is like Lillith..." Chain taunted.
Leo silently seethes as he took his phone and ignored her taunts. Chain laughed in amusement looking at her frustrated brother.
"So how much did we earn from this ?" Chain asked as her tone shifted from that of mischief into that of someone who means business.
"With those two we should be able to gain at least fifteen thousand cellestial dime. The IGO just posted a wanted bounty for Heckler and each of their goons will net us five hundred dimes" Leo spoke pointing at the unconscious brothers.
"Well let's turn them in then" Chain spoke.
"Well texted the officer responsible for overseeing the bounties over... He already sent me ten thousand dimes for those two over the Interstellar bank..." Leo said in his aloof member.
"So we can just head back now ?" Chain asked.
"Yup..." Leo responded as he slumped Chain's arm over her shoulder.
"The Nebula is still docked back in the space station. So we will head back using one of the IGO guard's ship..." The young man added.
In one quick motion he stood up becoming her crutch. Lillian silently glared at Leo before she took Chain's other arm to support her. Leo took notice but just ignored her stare.
Chain chuckled as she saw her brother and surrogate sister helped her up.
"Man, I am so lucky to have a kind and caring bro-" Before Chain can finish, Leo clenched his fist and twist his hand to her wound.
"OW OW OW" Chain stammered.
"LEO STOP IT !" Lillian growled but this time Leo just ignored her as he slightly smirked, enjoying the banter.
"Seems like even the mighty Gorilla Scrylla can feel pain after all..." Leo teased.
"Call me a gorilla again I dare you, once I recover you will regret it..." Chain threatened.
IGO guards and soldiers rushed past them as they slowly approached a space bridge linking an IGO spaceship to Heckler and Koch's ship. The three misfits slowly walked into the ship with a strong resolve in their face ready to face whatever threat they will encounter next.