Storm Watch Pt. 1

Rainfall. A crack of thunder boomed as storm clouds plagued the city's night sky. Darkness. Within an isolated sector, nothing could be seen. Footsteps. A squad of soldiers were shuffling their way through the soaked concrete.

"Clear," one said. "Move up."

One by one, the soldiers advanced through a parking lot. On the other side was a lonely warehouse surrounded by barbed walls.

"Target in sight," another said. "Squad B, cover us."

"We got you. Be careful."

While a team of seven approached the warehouse front gates, guns drawn and flashlights flailing, the other team was watching the perimeter.

"General Van Lachlein, you're up," a soldier said.

"What did you just say to me?" the cold yet elegant voice of a woman pierced through his ears.

"Uck...! Apologies, ma'am! F-force of habit... It's just... That's how I speak to my captain."

"Ah, is that so? Then I apologize for my force of habit."

"...Ma'am?" but that was all he could say before a single flash of plasma pierced through his skull.

When the footsteps came to a halt, the sound of high heels clacking upon the pavement echoed as the general walked up to the warehouse.

From the shadows, a glimmer of red appeared, and out walked a lady draped in a dark leotard. A decorated, white coat hung from her shoulders, and a pair of gleaming red sunglasses covered her gaze. Her short, black hair had a long magenta strand curling down her face. With a sinister grin, she pulled out her choice of weaponry, an energized flintlock pistol, and held it at her waist.

"Open it," she commanded.

"Yes, general."

With the press of a button, the whirring of machines came to life. Slowly, the gates lifted, yet no light came from within. As soon as they rose enough to reach the general's head, she walked in without a moment of hesitation.

Thereafter, the soldiers swarmed in from behind her, pointing their flashlights in every direction. Apart from the random assortment of crates lying around, it was empty. Even the catwalk above was just an interior decoration void of any activity.

A soldier approached her with a salute. "It's clear, general. They're not here."

"Hah... You sure about that?" she scoffed. "You might need to get your optics fixed. Lucky for you, I'm quite the doctor myself."

"T-that won't be necessary, ma'am..."

"Unfortunately, you don't get a say."

The general cocked the hammer of her flintlock and lifted it. With a pull of the trigger, a blinding beam of light pierced through the soldier's left eye. He subsequently fell to the ground, a puddle of blood expanding beneath him.

However, she didn't even bat an eye. Instead, the smile on her face grew wider as she turned her attention back to the darkness.

"Alright, darling, playtime's over," she said. "Come out. Now."

Silence. As deafening as the heavy rainfall outside. Behind her, the soldiers looked at each other in confusion, but as soon as they heard a single clack, they turned with their guns raised.

Footsteps. Coming from further within were footsteps. Not only that, the sound of metallic scraping plagued their ears, almost as if something was being dragged alongside whoever it was.

From the darkness, a pair of sharp eyes sprung aglow, blue and yellow. Within each was a hollowed diamond.

Finally, she stepped out and allowed the flashlights to reveal her. As prepared as the soldiers were to face the unknown, they couldn't help but take a step back.

Walking towards them was a woman in a tactical outfit and a pair of goggles upon her long and straight pink hair. Her bangs split at the center, curving down like crescent moons. In her hand was the hilt of a massive blade, but it was not a sword. It seemed more like the spearhead of a glaive once wielded by a giant.

"Why, hello there, darling," the general smirked. "Or perhaps I should give you a more proper welcome. Welcome back to New Olympos... former Athenian squad commander, Holiday."

Holiday pulled up her blade and pierced the ground in front of her. The diamonds in her eyes sharply pulsated, and the glow intensified.

She raised her hand into the air with a deep breath. "Code: Event Horizon."

As soon as she flicked her fingers down, the entire area shifted. What started as subtle heaviness soon turned into a devastating pressure that forced everyone to their knees.

Their cries of desperation and fear became muffled, and the pressure only escalated. What was left of the warehouse quickly crumbled. Cracks formed in the walls as large chunks of the ceiling fell to the ground, crushing those who were unfortunate enough to stand in their paths.

However, there was one who refused to yield to the power of absolute gravity. It was difficult, but the general managed to lift her hands to her glasses before pulling them off. Her red eyes radiated brightly, and within the circuits beneath were a pair of four-pointed stars.

"Code: Overclock," she muttered.

The next second, she was right in front of Holiday, her flintlock pointed at her head.

Holiday quickly threw her arm, knocking the barrel away as it sent a plasma bolt flying through the ceiling. When she tried to land a jab, the general twirled her body to dodge it.

When she turned around with her gun raised, Holiday was already kneeling, the tip of her blade pointing right at her.

Just like that, they were locked in a standstill. Just the two of them, among a sea of debris and bodies, their guns drawn and ready to fire. With the ceiling having been torn apart, the rainfall touched them and flooded the warehouse.

"Interesting choice in weaponry, darling," the general scoffed, noticing a large barrel protruding from the tip. "Is that a sword? Or a gun? Can't tell."

Almost immediately, the barrel sprung aglow with a bright blue light. A massive explosion erupted, and for a moment, the loud and heavy rainfall was nothing more than a slight addition to the ambiance. The warehouse toppled over in a flash of light, and a persistent blaze came to life.

The general suddenly fell from the sky, landing perfectly upright with a boom that ruptured the concrete beneath her. She stood up and brushed the ashes from her coat, seemingly unscathed. Her eyes trailed over to the fire, and that's when she realized her target had escaped.

"Hah... Ahahaha!" she laughed wickedly. "After all of these years, you haven't changed, Judan... not one bit."

She took a deep breath and reached for her ears.

"This is General Hela, Keira Van Lachlein. The target got away, and she took out... pretty much all of our guys. Hm...? Is that supposed to be my fault? I told you, didn't I? They'd only get in my way. Ah, whatever. Just fuck off already."

She pulled her arms up for a stretch.

"Damn... I need some alcohol when I get back."

Keira took one last look at the fire and began walking away, allowing it to burn. It'll extinguish eventually. She might as well save herself another headache for the night.