The Clan by SxEC Chapter 15 & 16

Katie was only a few feet from the ground, when she pulled a latch connected to the strap of her pack. The wings that kept her in the air after her successful break-in to Neocortex Headquarters, detached themselves from her pack. She then went to the ground, sliding fast through the grassy surface of an abandoned park. After a long drag of what probably would be the cause of a bad grass stain or bad rug burn, Katie fell into a camouflaged hole in the ground, and began sliding down a dark mechanical tunnel. Her yells of excitement were accompanied by laughs that could be heard by her fellow Jikken members below. The tunnel ended and Katie rolled into a large room with large crates, firearms, and ammunition. "Damn Kate, we could hear you all the way at the surface; you trying to wake the whole crew?" said a tall black man walking up to her. Katie stood up laughing, dusting herself off. "You the only one up Clip?" she asked. "I think so, the only light on." Clip replied. As Katie was the leader of The Jikken, Clip was the co creator. She and Clip escaped Neocortex Headquarters together and began the operations of rescuing the human experiments that Neocortex inhumanely worked on. Clip had extent knowledge in different firearms and weaponry and like Katie, he shared the same view of the fight to Torch and Neocortex took more than just fancy mental abilities, it took an army who knew exactly what they were up against, and knew the means of liberation, was fighting fire with water.

"What are you working on?" Katie asked looking at the 12 gauge shotguns he had laid out on a desk. "We move out Wednesday, We can infiltrate Neocortex Headquarters and stop the release of their "Hunter"." Clip said. "Another one?" Katie asked. "I’ll elaborate more in the morning during the meeting, get some sleep Geneva." Clip usually called Katie by her middle name, only because he liked it more. "What about you?" "Get some sleep." Clip said, more authority in his voice. "Fine."

Footsteps were heard from a distance, approaching quickly. A short woman with blonde hair burst through the door, panting. "Come look at the news!" she yelled. "Xenia, what’s wrong?" Katie asked. "Hurry up!" Xenia yelled.

The three ran down the hall into the load out room, where briefs were given, and where the radios and televisions were to provide information on what’s going on. Entering the room, the observed the television, which displayed a Breaking News bulletin. It had read, "Neocortex Releases Hunting Experiment." The reporter on the news was walking towards what appeared to be a crater in the surface of ground level. "A strange way for Neocortex to release one of their newest experiments." The news reporter began. "The Hunter, is in this crater as we speak, and right now we are awaiting to see what Neocortex will have patrolling New York for underground exiles."

There were sounds coming from the crater and suddenly started pulling itself from the crater. A woman began clawing herself, up out of the hole. She was wearing a gray and black bodysuit that sported the Neocortex logo. The green haired woman looked puzzled as she looked around, trying to figure out where she was. "Xenia wake up everyone, right now." Katie ordered."

I climbed out of the hole I created at that impact. I felt dizzy at first but gained control and began to focus. I saw a news crew in front of a puzzled small crowd of people. The reporter approached me with a smirk on his face. "Program, what is your purpose?" he asked. I gave him a pissed look but apparently he didn’t get the message of that glare. "Did you hear me program, I asked you, what is your purpose?" I Quickly grabbed him tightly around the neck and lifted him off his feet. "I heard you loud and clear." I said. I stared fearfully into my eyes, gasping for air. "…and now you’re going to hear me and answer me."

The reporter nodded his strained head as best as he could. "Where is the Jikken?" I asked as I released my grip on his neck, only slightly. "The Lord should’ve have told you." he cried. "How would you know if he told me?"

"Because you are the new Hunter."

"Hunter?"

"Yes the exterminator of those who rebel against our leader and the foundation, they plot in underground facilities."

"You mean Jikken?" I asked

"The Jikken, are just the more active and frequent ones."

"Where are they?!"

"They took over a Manhattan bomb shelter that is now underground." the reporter said.

"How do I find that?"

"

I don’t know, please let me go, I’m still on the air." the reporter begged.

I smiled.

Chapter 16

"A major clue of our location has just been compromised." Katie announced in front of the entire Jikken. "Not only that, but we now know that she’s mainly targeting us." There were about 90 to 100 men and women that filled up the main room of the Jikken headquarters. "We all have to be on alert and ready because she will be coming, we can’t let her catch us off guard." Katie finished. Clip walked up to the front of the room with a rolled up poster-like sheet of paper. "When the new Hunter gets here, everyone will proceed in the completion of Operation Capture The Flag, we will capture the Hunter and she will lead us all inside Neocortex Headquarters. Operation Capture The Flag will convert to Operation Take Down, and we will finish this."

There was a slight murmur in the room, women and men of different colors and ages, sizes and shapes. "It has finally come down to this, to free those imprisoned by the cruel, inhumane tests of Neocortex. The one they call Lord will be stopped once and for all, whatever tricks he has we’ll be ready, whoever he has guarding his gates, we will fight them, and no matter what we will not leave until Neocortex is reduced to rubble." Clip explained as he unrolled the large poster he was holding and laid it on the table. It revealed a blueprint of the Neocortex Headquarters. "Everyone, report to their posts."

I hovered through the scarlet skies, my mind keeping me afloat. I evaded the flying vehicles that came my way. This was going to be a challenge, knowing that I’m an actual primary enemy to Katie. Not only that , but she has a army of her own who most likely are ready to kill me. I couldn’t back down from this because I want to see my daughter, I wasn’t going to let anyone stop me from that, not a soul.

As I approached what looked to be a park, down on ground level, I saw a crowd of people shouting and pointing at me. My curiosity buzzed, and I flew down to see what was happening. As I reached the ground the crowd made a path for me to walk through. "What’s going on?" I asked. "The Jikken, they have posted sentries all over this park!" one of the crowd members shouted. "Wait, the Jikken are here?" I asked. A elder woman walked up to me. "You are the Hunter correct?" she asked.

"Well yeah , I guess." I said. I really haven’t gotten used to that title yet. "They are waiting for you." she said pointing down the deserted park pathway. Slowly I walked past the crowd. They were fearful and angry of the Jikken, who rebelled everyone and everything that rejoiced under the rule of Torch. I rejoiced under the order of no one, just hopes in meeting my daughter, whom I missed twenty years of her life. I’m not sure if she’ll believe me when I tell her but I’m counting that she’ll come around. I kept caution as I got deeper through the path. It got quieter, and the area began to dim. I heard screaming coming up from behind me. I quickly looked and saw two identical women coming at me. I ducked and rolled across, opposite where they would stop. They were twins, sporting armored vests, blue cargo pants and combat boots. They each pulled out two pistols, and began firing at me. I quickly swiped the bullets out of the air with my telekinetic energy and charged at them. They quickly dropped their weapons and came at me with a series of kicks, both of which nailing me in the chest and back and continued with a knee to my face. That knee stung with intensity and sent me to the ground. "You’re pretty weak, to be a Hunter." one of the women teased. I wiped my bloody and possibly broken nose, and rose to my feet. They began approaching me with flying kicks, and I came quickly with a high kick catching one in mid-air, . She fell hard to the ground. One jumped on me, trying to trap me in a head lock. I felt her biceps squeezing my head, and my vision slightly blurred. Before she could continue, I sent an aggressively hard elbow to her chest, which caused her to gasp and spit blood. I then elbowed her in the face and sent her unconscious to the ground. I got to my feet and dusted myself off, staring at the unconscious twins. "Nice try G.I. Ho’s."

"Did you hear that?" Clip asked. "Yeah, those gunshots." Katie replied. The two were sitting in the main room. "She’s here." Clip concluded. "We should get to the surface." Katie said.

"No, you stay here Geneva."

"I won’t stand by for my people to be killed up there, I need to help."

"And I wont stand by for our leader to be easily captured."

There was a quick silence. "Stay here." Clip said as he climbed the main room ladder to the surface.

Clip walked up to the entrance tunnel which was guarded by armed Jikken members. He watched as the Hunter approached them. "Get ready to fire, everyone, take that bitch down!" Clip ordered.

The Hunter stepped forward and the Jikken opened fire. The Hunter sent the bullets ricocheting in all directions thanks to her telekinetic force field. The bullets came in the direction of the Jikken before they took cover. In just seconds, like a magician’s trick, Clip vanished into thin air.

As the members of the Jikken risen from the flying rounds I deflected at them, I noticed one of them instantly disappeared, right before my eyes. Before I could think of my next action, the Jikken member appeared in front of me, wrapped his arm around my throat, and took me to the ground. We were now rolling around, sending blows to each others abdomen, repeatedly and viciously. He then threw an elbow to my side and I then felt cold steel pressed hard against my temple. "Gotcha!" the dark skinned man shouted in my ear. "You ain’t got shit!" I yelled as I telekinetically hovered us both into the air. Not good on measurements but I’m quite sure it was high enough to cause some internal injuries, once hitting the ground. I released concentration, and we began free falling to the earth beneath us. The man elbowed me in the face two more times before vanishing out of my arms and now I was the only one falling. "Shit." I muttered before smacking shoulder first into the ground.