V.I.R.A.L - Chapter 308

“You are all a bunch of traitors! You ran when things got too real for you, Zinnia, and now you choose to fight only because they personally affect you know? Who are you to decide when this fight means something to you?! And you, Iris. If you were strong enough, perhaps Alton wouldn’t have had to go this far. Just remember, at the end of the day. You caused this; Alton died because of you. And now there’s only me Ten, the last of the true Judgement of the Ten. Alton’s blood is on your hands.”

“Alton, snap out of this! This isn’t you; you wouldn’t let innocent people suffer like this! You’d stand and fight!” Zinnia begged.

Alton chuckled, swinging his arm around. “Who are you to decide who I am and what I’m capable of?! This is the real me. The me I was born and made into. Alton Brantley was nothing more than a wishful nobody who died begging for me to save the day. And thus, I will; if you won’t accept this world, this world doesn’t require you any longer. I can simply make copies who fall more in line. Kill them…. Kill every last one of them!”

The Safeties turned on the two girls as Zinnia held her hand out, pleading with Alton. “Don’t do this, Alton! We can help you, come back to us. Come back to Team Rhapsody!”

Alton watched a tear running down his face as he flicked it away, snarling, watching the two girls flee. “Team Rhapsody? What a load of bullshit.”

“Is this what you wanted, Ten?” A voice whispered.

Alton turned, letting out a dry smirk. “It was only a matter of time before you showed up….”

Acceptance sat on the edge of the rooftop looking over Alton’s new world with a slow clap. “You’ve worked wonders so quickly, haven’t you, Ten? How do you like my powers?”

Alton looked down at the Phantom walking, standing right next to him. “I heard little whispers of this. Past hosts of the Stages coming back to haunt the current. Is that what this is? You trying to get into my head from beyond the grave?”

“Perhaps.” Acceptance said in a somewhat mocking tone, slouched over, pushing his hands against his knees. “You’ve been busy, though, getting straight to work. The Long Whisper and now your own seemly perfect world to keep everyone safe. What a load of bullshit. Was that Alton’s idea by any chance? You still haven’t got full control over him.”

“Who did you see when you took power? What demon tormented you throughout your days, Archie?”

Acceptance scratched his beard, which was withering with age since losing his Stage. The phantom of Archie looked much worn down and ragged, his suit stained and bloody, his hair torn with serval bald spots and his eyes void of colour. The Garden gone from his body. “I saw an elderly woman, one you could simply walk past on the street and never bat an eye to. She was different from the others Stages. She didn’t fight nor choose to dabble in the greed and sins of the others. She was kind and caring. Beatrice, I believe her name was, she helped me along my journey as I will with you.”

“I don’t require such help. Especially not from the likes of you.”

“I’ll admit I was never the strongest; I couldn’t beat most in a fight. Nor could I ever hope to be on the same level of power as Bargaining or Anger. I accepted that long ago, but what advantage I did hold over them was simple, it was the advantage of the brain. This pocket world is a blessing, one you can take advantage of. That’s, of course, why you’re here, correct? It’s more than just hold everyone prisoner. You wish to finally settle things with the boy?”

“Our conversation here is over, Archie. I’ll be one to admit having you here isn’t all gloomy. I’ll be sure to contact you if required. Your knowledge might just be useful.”

Acceptance stood up, vanishing his voice trending off with the wind. “This world is like a dream. Once you realise that you can do just about anything.”

****

Zinnia crashed through a set of windows, the glass shattering around her as she rolled into an apartment complex losing her grip. Lying on the broken glass, she slowly picked herself up walking forward. Through the other end and her apparent escape, Vanguard crashed through kneeled down, looking up. “There’s no escape intruder. Our lord has requested your death, and thus we shall dispose of you accordingly.”

Holding her shoulder, pulling shards of glass out, Zinnia eyed down the fake Vanguard taunting him. “You’re not Vanguard; you’re nothing more than a puppet with his face.”

“Oh? What makes you say that?” He smirks.

“Marcus Culling hates Alton with all his might!” Zinnia barked, crouching down throwing a thunderbolt through the corridor smashing the fake Vanguard back. Holding his arms out, he stopped himself from crashing through the window as he pulled himself back. Turning around, the Phantom Streamer came from the back, blocking off Zinnia’s escape. “Damn it…. They aren’t going to let me go so easily, are they? Alright then, you want me?! Come and get me!”

Turning on the spot, Zinnia burst through one of the apartments as the safeties burst to life striking. Hoping over a table, Zinnia pushed forward with her hands propelling herself off the table, launching over the sofa as bullets burst through the walls at top speed. Her eyes were set on the window as she expelled out, smashing through only to be surrounded by a dozen more safeties. Multiple copies of Agartha and Marco came toppling down on her. Zinnia turned, falling onto her back as she held her hand out, sending lightning frying all her toying enemies. Holding her arms out behind her, she snapped forward, swinging from a lamppost flying along, running against the walls jumping between the alleyway walls to keep her momentum going. Her main goal was to meet up with Iris, who split up the moment the safeties struck. However, she was far from getting out quickly. Coming to the end of the alley, Ragnar appeared moving his arm as ice clustered around, blocking a clear path. Moving too fast, Zinnia had no choice but to keep going smashing through the ice, cutting herself to pieces as her head began to bleed.

Stumbling off the alley, she couldn’t give herself time to show weakness as more safeties swarmed her location. Spinning on the spot, Zinnia called on her katana, holding it in its holster, waiting. As more closed in, she snapped it out, sending off a large blast of electricity. The area was blinded with bright white as all of the safeties were dispatched quickly. However, doing this stopped Zinnia from saving her fall as she crashed into a car falling through the roof lying on the back seats. A man spun around, terrified as Zinnia sat up. “What the hell?!”

Looking from the back window, Zinnia saw more closing in without any remorse. Holding her katana up, she threatened the man. “Move as fast as you can! If you don’t, we will all die!” The man panicked began driving like a mad man speeding through the streets, escaping the horde. Climbing out, standing up directly, Zinnia held onto the bonnet of the car. She had one hand out into a gun gesture firing off bolts of lightning at the safeties in hopes to hold as many back as possible. Serval was taken down before Ragnar kept snapping in, crashing into the car. Falling back into the vehicle, Zinnia knew the vehicle should be ditched as quickly as possible. However, unable to leave the man to die, she pushed herself to the front, grabbing the man to turn herself and him into smoke as they poured out just as the car exploded. Holding the man tightly, she crashed against the road skidding back landing against a bus stop. The man quickly fled as Zinnia stood back up, spitting a mixture of blood and spit from her mouth as she was forced to take a stand. Holding her katana ahead of her, she began panting out of breath. “Just how many of you are there?”

Ragnar landed on the ground, freezing her hand into a blade with a smirk. “As many as need be.”

Preparing to battle, Zinnia gripped her weapon tighter, staring daggers at Ragnar. The moment she raised her sword, the area was consumed in darkness as smoke filled the streets. The Safeties were knocked back by an unseeing force as each of them were brutally taken care of. Zinnia turned as someone gripped her hand. In front of her was a boy with long white hair wearing a plain black mask with no features of any kind apart from room for his eyes which were hard to see. He spoke in a gruff tone coughing at the same time. “Come with me!”

Before she could say, much Zinnia was swept away by her saviour as she managed to dart into an abandoned fire station, avoiding any more Safeties. Coughing constantly, she fell to her knees, still exhausted. The boy looked out the windows making sure the coast was clear. Turning away from Zinnia, he threw his mask off, placing another on. Turning back, Zinnia saw him now wearing a metal mask that had a crack down the middle with no colour of any kind. Catching her breath, Zinnia held her hand out, speaking up, still choking every once and a while. “Wh- who are you?”

“I should be asking that one. Safeties never get that winded up over just anybody. What did you do to piss them off?” He replied, keeping from asking her question just yet.

Zinnia stood up, clearing her throat. “We came here to stop Alton.”

“Stop him? You are crazy; you sound just like the others we picked up over the months. You can call me Rhapsody; if you want to fight the good fight, then Stag will want to meet you.”

“Stag? As in the number four streamer Stag?” Zinnia questioned, remembering the name on the mission outside the wall years ago.

“You know her then. That’s good; from the looks, another washed up Streamer could always use more of those. With you the lunatic with the guns, the Syndicate girl and idols, we might just pull this off.”

“Pull what off? What are you doing?”

Rhapsody turned back, holding a hocket stick around his shoulders. “The exact same thing as you, what else? We’re crashing the simulation.”