[T1] Short Cut

[Ash]

Jakob, Angel, and The Centurion checked out cleanly with the stormtroopers at the gates. Jakob did his best to warn the two about the effects the gate had on you, but it was all for naught as he could not actually put the words together in his drugged mind. They didn't seem too illed by the transportation either.

On the other side of the gate was Tier One of Coruscant. The Empire's influence was strongest here, and the mass of secondaries was active. They could hear voices chatting up, a million of them turning into white noise - if you didn’t listen to any of them. There was plenty of other noises. Hissing steam from far away pipes. Elevator type music drifting out of public speakers. The whipping of vehicles through the air in various directions.

Behind them they could hear the broken chit-chat over walkies and comms.

Jakob was not paying attention to any of it, he was simply navigating through the sea of people. Of course, he was used to all of this by now. He has always been used to this noise and the people. Russia had not been a powerful force in his futuristic universe because it was small, it did not lack people for its armies and its work force. It was packed to the gills with humans, orcs, elves, and dwarves alike. This was more than that had been, but it was just noise and body heat.

“Wait,” Angel said, grabbing at the air between her and Jakob. “Jakob, take my hand.” She requested, even though the memory of their make out was still fresh in her mind - even if it brought a warmth to her cheeks… “That way we don’t get separated... “ She quickly gave reason to her request. 

“Okay.” Jakob accepted, lifting his robotic hand for her to grab.

Angel hesitated, despite it being her idea, but took it gently. She watched as he curled the cold fingers around her hand gently, knowing full well that it was capable of crushing her fingers if he wanted to. She gulped but trusted him. 

She then reached over for Cade to take her other hand. He also hesitated, if only because he was not used to ideas like this. But he also took the hand. Angel noted there were at least twenty things different between the two hands but said nothing. Just offered Jakob a smile and a short nod to express she was ready.

Jakob turned away and began to lead the daisy-chain of people through the milling crowd. His steps were slow but precise. He tugged gently as he walked, but absently. Slowly they made their way towards the opposite gate for Vasty Deep. It would have never occurred to his drugged mind that there was an easier way to do this. Several easier ways. They could have taken a cab, they could have walked ten feet the other way in the Nexus. All of this knowledge lost to his numbed cells. 

He carried them through the secondaries, pushing his way through without stepping on toes or even a single elbow to the face. Then again, Jakob had two modes. Savage, and dumb.

The Russian male moved through two people gently, and in response to this, the two figures asserted dominance by crushing the human’s arm between their large masses. This did nothing to Jakob, but it made Angel cry out and pull her hand back from the closing mountains. They, twins apparently, glare in her direction. On the verge of tears, she pulled back.

Cade slid around her and puffed out his chest, ready to take them on but not ready to start trouble. Gurgle sounds could be heard from them, but then they slithered away. “That was close.” He said, turning to Angel who was guarding her hand as if it was harmed. Unable to help himself, Cade took her hand and inspected it while he questioned her. “Did they hurt you?”

Angel whimpered, but the only harm that had been done was the powerful flick of Jakob’s mechanical hand. It left a small but impressively deep bruise on the back. “No.. I’m fine.” She said, truthfully it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“It looks nasty... But I don’t think anything is broken.” He said, his fingers being tender as they prodded at the bone underneath. When she winced and jerked back, he stopped but offered her his best smile. “Sorry.”

Angel felt the heat return to her face as she stared at his attractive face... Why were heroes always so good looking? Was that a standard they had to meet? A requirement? She had to calm herself. “It’s okay. I know you wouldn’t hurt me.” She said, unintentionally a bit dreamily. 

He chuckled, “That I would not.” He assured her. “Now.” He said, standing taller and looking back for Jakob. “Let us… Get… Back to..?” His words trailed off as he found no sign of their guide. “Jakob?” He called out.

They looked left, right, and everywhere between but found no sign of the red-armed Russian. “Jakob!” Angel cried out, lifting her bruised hand to cup around her mouth in hopes of amplifying her voice. “JAKOB!?”

But no matter how many times his name was called out he did not return.

Cade and Angel continued in the direction that they were headed, hoping to catch up with the man. They called and called as if looking for their lost dog. Man, woman, and whatever other gender that was present looked at them with mild disdain as they continued on with their racket. “Jakob! Buddy?” Cade tried again.

Angel narrowly missed a lifted crate with her head, the two holding it lifting it higher as she twists. She gives them a nervous look but manages a thank you and a sorry before turning back around to continue their hunt. “Jakob!?” She called him once more. She turned the other way. “Ja-!!” She stopped dead in her tracks as they saw a similar gate from the one they entered. Its swirling magic teasing them to enter. There was a sign close by: Costa Del Sol. That was the beachiest name if she’s ever heard of one. But… While they found their destination, they did not find their Jakob. “Cade?” She called out

[Centurion]

Come on man, hold it together, there's a lady present.

  In all truth, Cade was just as panicked as Angel sounded. Lights, sounds, and movement bombarded him from every angle. His brain was overwhelmed as it tried to not only process the tactile and instinctive portions of his environment but the populace. Strange creatures, men, women, and everything in between waddled walked and hopped up and down the roads. Vehicles zoomed overhead like metal birds, peddlers hawked their wares in various languages and men encased in white armor wielding wicked-looking rifles patrolled the sidewalks in droves. Centurion had been to space before, he had seen strange alien species and been surrounded by uncertainty. Here, however, there was no Janus to explain the strange tentacled creature that squealed as it scuttled by or the roaring of another floating rig. This was on him. Thankfully, he kept his composure, if only for Angel's sake. She was obviously nervous. The sudden disappearance of the Russian had discombobulated them both and tapped into the younger man's innate instinct for leadership. Jakob was gone, leaving Cade to spearhed this adventure... except he had no idea where he was.

  Thankfully, Cade's training kicked in quickly. His brain instantly sought out a vantage point, a safe space where he could think. The soldier in him needed to assess the situation. The 19 year old kid needed to process what the hell was going on. He pushed away thoughts about that strange blank world with the fountain, the grinning child, and the fact that he was now leading a girl with blue hair through a crowd of random beings in another dimension and focused on regrouping. He scanned the crowd for that aquamarine mop he had come to trust.

"Angel!? Excuse me, I gotta... I.." He dug through the crowd narrowly avoiding the swinging coils of two men transporting some cables. As much as it harmed his sensibilities, he had to be more assertive. "Excuse me? MOVE, coming through!"

  He felt his muscles tense, a familiar strength he had feared was gone. He pushed past people in his pursuit of the bobbing blue crown just a dozen feet ahead.

"Angel! Hey!"

  She was darting about, lost and nervous. It pained him to see anyone that way, and he redoubled his efforts. Cade forced his way to her and gently took her hand, pulling her suddenly to the edge of the crowd and pressing against a wall. She jumped at his touch, but smiled in relief when she saw who it was. He kept his back and shoulders tilted away from her and towards the crowd, forcing the pressing masses to go around him and give Angel some room. Like an ocean, the crowd crashed into his back, pushing him close to her; closer than he would have deemed appropriate. Cade grinned boyishly, hoping to ease his companion's stress.

"I swear, I normally take a girl to dinner first." He was able to extract a giggle from the girl, but whether it was genuine or forced he wasn't sure. 

Instead, the young man focused on getting the both of them to a safer place where they could regain their sense of direction. Adjusting his grip on her hand, Cade pulled Angel back into the flowing current of denizens. He glanced around the overcrowded, polished streets a time or two for some sign of Jakob. The Russian, he had confirmed, was most certainly better suited for this job than he. Unfortunately, he had disappeared like a wraith, possibly into the glowing portal of Costa Del Sol. Cade pushed the Russian from his mind, for now, and fought his way through the crowd. Eventually, a red doorway caught his eye. It sat besides a series of shops and restaurants, a blue, holographic sign illuminating the entryway in a faint, sapphire light. He pulled the door open, a quiet jingle announcing their entrance as he set his body against the door to allow Angel in first. They walked inside, the door sliding shut with nary a sound and silencing the manic hubbub of the raging urban tides. The smell of sawdust and wood filled the air, soft jazz music sounding from a small radio in the back of what appeared to be a simple, serene cafe. Wood countered the metallic outdoors of the city, as if it had been teleported from the metallic cityscape of the future outside and into a much homier, more familiarly modern establishment. Many of the tables and chairs were empty, something that helped the hero relax. Remembering he was still holding Angel's hand, he let go and released his stored-up breath. Safety.. for now.

  He patted his hip nervously, checking for the green beanie in his pocket. Relieved to feel the familiar bulge, the final threads of stress gave way. He didn't know what he would do without that hat. With the immediate danger passed, the spike of adrenaline that had fueled him started to fade. Gone was the drive to assist the damsel in distress or to figure out where he was and why he was there. Now, the young man was just exhausted. He made sure to find Angel a seat before sitting down himself, mentally and physically drained. His head flopped back and he exhaled loudly.

"Whaaaaat the hell..."

  It was rhetorical of course, but loud enough for Angel to answer if she did, indeed, know what the hell. Overall, the hero was overwhelmed. He was lost in another world, with only a hat to remind him of the warm Hawaiian sun, his mother's loving embrace, and the faces of his friends. He couldn't trust his suit, this Omni character was obviously kidnapping others and he had no power to stop it, and now he was stranded in a café with a girl he didn't know who somehow knew him. There was too much to talk about and he really didn't know where to start. Thankfully, Angel made up for Cade's inability to pick a single conversation topic.

"Are you okay? You look... tired."

"I am tired. Really tired." Cade, drained as he was, managed a weary smile and turned the conversation to her as he sat up on his elbows. "Are you okay? How's your hand?"

Angel absentmindedly massaged her bruised appendage and answered vaguely. "I should be fine."

  The young hero noted the discoloration on the back of her palm and frowned. He knew she wasn't referring to the bruise. She was telling herself she would be fine, despite Jakob's disappearance. However, he didn't press the issue. If she was okay, she was okay. Cade had a strong feeling she was not. It took a moment for him to figure out what to say, but he decided it was better said than unsaid. With Jakob gone, Angel was visibly upset, and it frustrated the young man that there was little he could do about it. He almost chuckled, imagining what his friends would say now. Leave it to Cade to find a way to be upset about someone else, despite being in a heap of trouble himself. The thought of his friends, ribbing him for something so trite, brought a light curl of joy to his lips, but it was bittersweet. He ran his hands through his sandy-brown shag and tried changing the subject.

"That Jakob guy, you knew him?"

[Angel Fisher]

“Yeah,” Angel responded softly, he had only just met Jackob, but his disappearance felt like that of someone she had known for years, probably becurse in her own way, she did. “Only by reputation though…”

"He seemed like a good guy.” Cade responded. “At the very least, he knew his way around this place. I could use some of that right now."

“He knew a lot of things…” The girl replied, still obviously worried about Jackob’s disappearance, but she knew she had to be positive, otherwise neither of them would do anything. “But I’m sure between the two of us we can figure stuff out.”She continued, suddenly grabbing his hands from across the table; It was like she was trying to promise it, though it wasn’t clear whether to Cade or herself. “And there is still the possibility that he just drifted off and took the long way around, he’s like that.”

Cade was taken aback by the sudden gesture, but knowing what it meant to Angel he didn't fight it.

"Yeah, maybe. We could always go looking for him."

“Well… I guess, but if he did go around the long way he would show up at the gate eventually anyway, which we can see quite clearly from here.” Angel explained before her voices volume dropped, making it sound like she was embarrassed. “...and I don’t handle crowds very well.”

Cade squeezed her hands reassuringly.

"I'll be right next to you. But hey, I'm pretty lost myself. Hanging around this place doesn't sound too bad. We could even try and get some grind."

Angel’s stomach growled at the Hawaiian slang, no matter the language, it always knew what met feeding time. “Food does seem like s good option right now… Waiter!”

A man with short black hair and some sort of futuristic tuxedo on was quick to came to the aid was the aqua-haired weeb girl. “What may we get for you today madam?.”

“We’ll take two Burgers, a hot chocolate, a glass of water and a bowel malasadas on the side.” Angel gave the waiter the warm welcoming smile she gave everyone as he took the order down and went off to have it prepared.

Cade just sat on the opposite side of the table confused on who this girl was and how she knew what he liked, heck, how she knew him at all. "Hey, you like Malasadas?" He asked quizzically.

“Yeah, I learned about them from a book, been in love with them ever since.” Angel responded, technically not lying.

"The... book?" Cade cocked his eyebrow, confusion starting to set in.

“Oh, you know, just a comic book.” She said nonchalantly, thinking the jump in logic required to get the next step a relatively big one.

“Huh... well, uh, I just so happen to be a big fan of them myself. They're a staple snack in Hawaii. That's where I'm from, by the way.”

“America.” She responded, “North to be more specific.”

"Hey, cool! All my friends are from the mainland."

Angel relaxed as the conversation got to more normal territory, and did so even more when a waiter came to their table with food. The aqua haired girl smiled at their waiter as she told them that she would quite happily take care of sorting out the food. She placed the basket of malasadas were in the middle of the table before putting the hamburgers on either side of the table, handing the glass of water to the hawt guy sitting in front of her.

When everything was sorted out Angel started picking at her burger, removing a layer at a time while rebuilding it upside down next to where it was before. Cade managed to look up at the girl for a second and see her doing it. “Oh, you do it to?”

“Yeah,” Angel commented, not looking up. “I do it to make sure people get my order right and to make sure there’s nothing I’m allergic to when I order something new.”

"I guess I'm just weird then." He grinned. "It's like an instinct, I have to isolate every flavor."

She grinned back at him. “I like weird people.” She responded, picking up her now completed burger and biting into it. “They make life more interesting.”

"Yeah. Yeah they do." Cade's voice was less light-hearted and more alden with thought as he joined Angel and indulged in his own burger.

The blue-haired girl looked back down awkwardly before turning her head to stare at a window. ‘Way to go putting a halt to the conversation.’ she thought to herself. That’s when she saw it; A shiny red hand. “Come on, we need to go. I think I just saw Jackob.”

“Does this mean I don’t get to finish my sandwich?” Cade complained, jokingly.

Angel just smiled. “Just eat the malasadas.” she giggled at him while picking up the basket and pushing one in his mouth, before pulling him out the door. “Now… where did he go…” Her eyes tracked the seen as if she was a hunter longing for her pray, slowing her feet moved forward, her senses ever watchful, and then she saw the hand. That lend her into a mad rush of ‘pardon me , ‘Excuse me’s and ‘thank you’s, you thought she would have learned when her arm was crushed before.

“Jackob, wait up.” she said as she reached out and touched the suspect’s shoulder, only for them to turn around and deny her her wish.

“What do you want?” The man said, his voice was that of a highschool bully, deep, rough and mean.

“Sorry,” Angel replied as she took a step back. “I thought you were someone else.”

“So you stop me, and then I’m not good enough. Is that it?” angel was visibly uncomfortable as the man got right in her face, close enough to feel the spit from each word.

Cade stepped forward, putting himself between Angel and the man. He put out a hand, level with the instigator's chest, in an attempt to calm him. "She didn't mean anything by it. We're looking for a friend."

“And who are you meant to be, her boyfriend?” The guy either had a really bad day, or he the type of guy it’s hard not to punch in the face.

"Just a guy. Come on man, go home and get some rest, you need it."

“Oh yeah? Fight me and I’ll show you how tired I am.” He said, his voice getting more irritating the more he overreacted, at least to angel. Then he leaned into that awkward just close enough for spit position and whispered. “Unless your chicken.”

Cade couldn't help but smirk at the prospect, but he kept his pride in check. He gently pushed Angel in the opposite direction of the man andset his feet. He clenched his fists, just in case, as he responded to the challenge.

"Come on brah, there's a lady here. Show some respect."

“Lady?!” The man laughed. “You mean that string of toothpaste?”

“Hey!” Angel yelled back after hearing the insult.

“Shut your mouth bitch!”

Instantly, Cade's hand shot out and grabbed the man roughly by his shirt. He yanked the aggressor as close as they could get without touching, his face twisted with a snarl. His glare was fire and his grip was steel.

"Don't you EVER talk to her like that. Apologize.”

“Make me.” Was all that he said, not that much needed saying.

Cade obliged. In one movement, he released the man's shirt, pivoted, and rammed his palm into the bastards chest. Much to the hero's chagrin, it resulted in little more than a stumble and a cough. It was at that moment he remembered this new world and how much it had screwed with his abilities. If he couldn't even open his HUD without almost giving himself a seizure, how could expect any of the other added benefits? Thankfully, he still had his training and he took a ready stance, keeping his arms ready to snap up to defend himself.

"We don't have to do this man. Just apologize and we can all go home."

“Look at the bitch’s puppy, ready to protect her from anything.” He responded mockingly, ignoring all of cade’s warnings. “What happened to just a friend’, punk?” The guy didn’t give him enough time to answer as he elbow rushed cade into the people behind, making them, and everyone else, finally notice the fight and move out of the way to create an open space for the fight.

CRAP CRAP

Despite all his mental preparation, the bull rush had caught Cade off guard. His back slammed into a few pedestrians, eliciting expletives and angered shouts. He wanted to apologize, but adrenaline was already closing up his throat and he had bigger things to worry about. The young man threw his shoulders into a twist, shoving the man back and off of him. In the backlash of the same movement, he landed an unrestrained right hook on the bastard's jaw. If Cade didn't have to worry about his strength, he could go all the way with no regrets.

Angel quickly ran over to the hero of her story at least and grabbed him by the sleeve. “Come on, we need to go.”

Angel's touch snapped Cade Out of the single-minded rush that had overcome him and he finally registered the man laying on the ground, writhing in pain and grasping at his jaw. Cade's heart was pounding in his head and it felt like it was trying to crawl out of his chest. His tense muscles barely started to relax as he backed off, nodding distractedly.

"I'm sorry, I... Sorry." Cade didn't know who he was apologizing to, he just knew his gut was starting to twist up. The warrior hadn't felt like this in a along time, not since some of his first battles as a Centurion.

“You… you came back here… right now or i’ll…” Luckily the man didn’t have enough energy to complete his heart, or have his words be anymore than a whisper.

Angel hurryingly pulled her protagonist into an alley and sat them down behind a dumpster before telling him to be quiet. She soon went into a trance like state, the green wires constructing what she wanted again: A sombrero, an ugly christmas sweater, and some ripped jeans. “Put these on, quick.” she said, throwing them at him.

"What?"

His confusion started with Angel's ability to manipulate strange verdant skeins to form items, followed through with the ridiculous attire, and ended with her asking him to put them on.

"What!?

“Street brawl. Big crowd. Cops are almost definitely gonna show up.” She said, not wasting a second with her words.

"But, it wasn't our fault. So we talk to the cops."

Cade took the sombrero and turned it over, taking it all in.

“I guess…” she said as she stood back up slowly. “But us running away really doesn’t give us the best light to begin with.”

"I blame that on you." Cade said jokingly, pulling the sombrero down on his head and grinning like a kid.

“Well I guess maybe they’d understand…” she said, smiling at how dorky he looked. “Unless they really are those big tough dudes that don’t take no for an answer you you in comic books.” Although at first she was laughing she was legitimately regretting saying that. She soon reached out her arm and gave her sweet smile “Come on, let’s go do the right thing.”

[Centurion]

Back on the street, there was little to indicate Cade's scuffle had even taken place. The crowd had dispersed, the angry man was nowhere to be seen, and no one was giving the young man any strange looks. Hope that the whole thing had blown over bloomed in Angel's chest and she tugged on her companion's arm.
 
"Come on! No one's here, so ­­there's nothing to own up to."
 
  Cade scanned the crowded street and shrugged. "Huh... well that's good I guess."
 
  They both started back towards the Cafe, if only to have a safe place to sit. The crowd was just as thick as earlier, but Cade took the lead and pushed open a pa­­th for them both. He was starting to see the kind of world he was in, and it was one that required force to make sense. He could hear Angel grunt out apologies as the pressing masses bumped into her a few times, so he redoubled his efforts to split the sea of people. Suddenly, parts of the crowd gave way to a small group of people, led by a familiar and angry face.
 
"Hey lapdog! Round two."
 
  The man, a shiny purple bruise adorning the side of his face, was accompanied by two other men. They seemed to be hard laborers, men who worked with their hands, and were notably larger than the younger hero. The angry man had a metallic rod of some sort in his hand, likely a pipe, and kept tapping the side of his leg. Cade pushed Angel away again to keep her well out of the way.
 
"Hey man. I thought we got over this?"
 
"Hell no, you don't make a fool of me and get a way with it you son of a bi-"
 
"Language! There's a lady present."
 
"F@$& your lady, man! I'm gonna kick your smug prick ass back through whatever gate you came from!"
 
  Cade clenched his fists and that racing heartbeat kicked up again. He didn't want to do this, and his body knew it, but it pumped enough adrenaline into his system to help him forget that fact.
 
"Come on brah, just let it go. You're blowing this way out of proportion."
 
  No response, just blind rage as the man ran towards Cade, screaming and brandishing his pipe. Cade could hear angel scream inaudibly as the metal rod slammed into his shoulder. His attempt to block the blow resulted in far more pain then he had expected, the whole joint exploding from the impact. He felt the bones rattle in their sockets, his ligaments desperate to hold the joint together. The pipe swung around again, but this time Cade responded. He slid his foot forward and shot out his arm, grazing the pipe and dispersing the impact of the second strike. With a twist, he wrapped his arm around the rod and pivoted. His knee slammed into the man's and he fell backwards, Cade's grip on the pipe ripping it out of his hands. The man sprawled backwards, a stupefied expression on his face as Cade stood over him, pipe in hand.
 
  It took Angel a few attempts to shout the young man's name before he heard her through the pounding oh his heart in his ears. He turned to look at here a moment too late. His vision was filled with a massive fist. The strike rammed into him like a truck, Cade's whole face going numb for a second. He stumbled back, feeling a trickle of blood make its way out of his right nostril. In an attempt to steady himself, he planted his left foot behind him only to see one of the larger men taking another swing at him. Cade ducked under the wide swipe and hooked his fist into the larger aggressor's kidney. It elicited a grunt of pain, but did little to slow the massive man as he swung back around and landed another powerful punch on Cade's temple. His vision exploded and his knees buckled, everything going white. He barely managed to stay standing and took a few steps back for distance. It was when he lifted his arm to strike back that he realized he had dropped the pipe. Where could it...
 
KRACK

  This time everything went red. Cade fell forwards, no control over his body anymore. It took all of his will to lift his arms, keeping his face from an untimely meeting with the street. Another scream from Angel. He tried to get up, to help her, to show her this wasn't enough to keep him down, but three shadows washed over him. Cade had been through this before. He knew what was going to happen. He couldn't stop it, but he'd be damned if he let it go down without a fight. The first kick landed in his back, and he almost lost his breath.
 
"Come on! That all you've got!?" He tried to push himself up and glare at the men attacking him, but it earned him little more than a foot on his jaw.
 
  Pushed back on the ground, a hail of strikes rained down upon him. They blended together, each individual impact devolving into a single dull pain. He couldn't tell which were punches or which were kicks. He could always tell which ones were the pipe. He curled up to protect his head and stomach as the torrential wave crashed into him over and over again. He was starting to black out, stars dancing behind his closed eyelids, and he growled in frustration in a desperate attempt to retain consciousness.
 
KRACK
 
The pipe slammed into his ribs and Cade prayed they weren't broken.
 
THWACK
 
A kick to the head, or at least that's what he guessed. It was getting hard to focus.
 
KRACK
 
More red. More black. More white. Just any and every way a brain could scream 'help me I'm dying' bombarded Cade's thoughts.
 
THA-WUMP
 
Orange. Weird. Everything went orange.
 
He felt his mind clear, he could hear Angel shouting again, he could focus. The pain was less noticeable, and his eyes were no longer assaulted by dancing lights. A message he had only seen twice before spelled out in English across his eyelids.
 
Wielder Death Imminent: Unlocking Basic Combat Protocols
 
  New strength flowed into Cade's muscles, his lungs could expand without burning, and his pure unfettered anger flared back up. He exploded to his feet, without warning, roaring like a savage lion. As he stood, liquid metal slid up his legs and encased his arms. His chest was coated with thick nano-machine based mesh and orange lights flared up along his hexagonal sigil. The real thrill came when his helm slid into place and that trusted HUD exploded across his vision. It was limited, but at least this time it wasn't trying to kill him. With the Apparatus fully attached to his body and his orientation now upright, Centurion was alive.
 
  The larger men responded too slowly, one finding that the human body is quite certainly capable of assisted flight. He crashed into a storefront, shattering the plate glass of the displays. The other tried to turn and run, but Centurion would have none of that. He grabbed the man by the back of his shirt and pulled. The large man was suddenly and powerfully yanked down and back, the back of his head smacking the pavement. He tried to crawl away, but the Centurion Apparatus knew not the meaning of mercy. Without thinking, Cade dropped down and slammed the man’s face back to the street, knocking him unconscious.
 
KTAANG
 
It was a barely perceptible impact, the suit absorbing most of the damage and relaying it to Cade's HUD. Centurion turned to see the man, the first man, dented and bloodied pipe in hand and terror etched on his face. Energy crackled from Centurion's eyes, his mind overcome with rage. He seized the bastard by his collar and pulled him closer. The man's feet dangled just above the street, toes scraping the pavement desperately for a place to stand. Cade's enraged voice buzzed out from the face-plate of his armor, the nano-machine mask mimicking his knotted brow and snarling visage.
 
"Alright asshole! ROUND THREE!"
 
Centurion pulled his hand back, his orange palms building up a charge and glowing bright enough to dim the other street lights. The snapping skeins of Ionic Energy cast flickering shadows across the man's terrified expression as he babbled apologies and begged Cade to let him go. He didn’t. A quick right likely shattered the man’s nose, a geyser of blood splattering the shirt crumpled in Centurion’s grip.

“CADE!” Angel’s cry fell on deaf ears.

Another one threatened the man’s consciousness, his head snapping back like a toy. The warrior’s hand opened, the flaring energy inspiring new fear in the man he held. Lightning snapped from finger to finger and Centurion pulled back for another, this time ionically charged strike.
 
"CADE! STOP!" Her voice broke on the words, choking on emotion.
 
He did, but he didn't lower his hand. Centurion barely tilted his head to the side, peeking in his peripheral vision to see Angel standing behind him. The orange glow of the Apparatus highlighted the fear in her tearful eyes.
 
"Stop. It’s over, you got him... please…"

  Cade looked back at the man in his grip, limp and almost lifeless, then up at the crowd surrounding them. His anger started to burn out and the ramifications of what he had done hit him. He released the man, letting him scramble for safety. Cade spun around, his helm retracting to expose his face, and looked at the other two men. One was out cold, his groggy companion trying to drag him away. Even the crowd was afraid, murmuring permeating the air like an accusatory fog, Cade feeling suffocated by the weight of their stares. He looked back at Angel. She was on the verge of tears, arms wrapped tight around her body as she tried to comfort herself. His hands. Cade looked down at his hands and was struck by the glistening crimson of blood ornamenting his gauntleted knuckles.

  The charged energy faded and Centurion dropped his hands, his face now joining the others in its horrified expression. His heart seized. He should never have done that. Why had he done that? The suit, the damned suit. Combat Protocols… it had hijacked his mind, fueling with adrenaline and anger to ensure survival at the risk of murdering the aggressors. Cade wanted to scream, but his attention was quickly captured by the squad of about a half-dozen armored troopers pushing through the crowd. Their plates were ice white, offset harshly by the glowing red barrels of their rifles.

“HANDS UP SCUMBAG!” The first trooper ordered, rifle raised and voice modulated by his helmet to bellow throughout the street. “Rest of you DISPERSE.”

The crowd wasted no time in scattering as calmly as possible, may glancing back at the armored boy as they went. Cade didn’t raise his hands, not out of rebellion but out of shock.

“I sad HANDS. UP.”

“Cade, put your hands up!” Angel’s panicked command snapped the young man back into reality.

He raised his hands as the troopers surrounded him. He could take them. He could win this fight. All he needed was to drop his helm, blast a few holes in their chests, he could easily kill each and every one of… of… NO. Cade blinked long and hard, forcing the suit to deactivate combat protocols. He literally felt his soul lighten, the adrenaline and serotonin in his body dropping sharply. He felt normal again, and all that led to was an onset of shame and frustration. He glanced back at Angel, who had her hands up level with her head and was darting her eyes between the troopers and her companion. Reluctantly, Cade raised his hands, if only for Angel’s sake. These guys meant business.