Daybreaker Alpha - Solo Patrol
The hot streams of water coursing over Claytons body soothed his aching muscles if not his throbbing head. Unable to sleep the night before, he had gotten out of bed, donned his powered armor battle suit and headed out onto the streets on his first solo patrol as Daybreaker Alpha instead of with the squad of five to eight all in uniquely powered suits all covering each others backs.
The solo patrol had been a success in that he had apprehended some bad guys and had survived to fight another day but there had been some close calls. Too many close calls. With the hot water doing its magic on his aching muscles, Clayton hoped that rehashing the days events in his head might calm his head as well.
The Paragon Police Department had cordoned off a perimeter around Virtuous Bank in Steel City. Inside the bank was a contingent of The Lost, a gang made up of the homeless, the mentally ill and other disheartened converts they swayed over with their odd mixture of weird religious fervor and penchant for violence. The Lost could often be a daunting opponent due to their sheer numbers but they also had a seemingly endless supply of weapons. According to reports that came in over the police band they were being led in this bank heist be Echidna, a threat in her own right, who used deadly barbs and spines to attack her enemies. What connection she had with The Lost was unclear but Clayton figured that was something the PPD could figure out after they were captured.
Clayton tried to calm his nerves with deep breaths while at the same time using his armors sensors to scan the structure of the building. Over two dozen heat signatures were detected, some stationary, some moving with purpose and a few running back and forth seemingly in a panic.
At least it looks like the hostages are alive, he thought to himself.
Using his suits computers to analyze the heat signatures and comparing them to blueprints of the structure downloaded from the cities database, Clayton believed that the front of the bank was unguarded and that he should be free from resistance until he hit the main lobby.
Looks like theyre counting on the threat to the hostages to keep the cops from entering, he said to himself. Ill have to be as quick and quiet as possible if I want to get the customers out uninjured.
With that thought he signaled to one of the PPD officers that he was going inside. The officer looked torn between wanting to join him and relieved that he didnt have to. The officer gave Daybreak Alpha a respectful nod and a solemn Be careful in there and than radioed in to his dispatcher to report the newest turn of events. Now fully committed to this crazy solo adventure whether he wanted to be or not, Clayton had no more cause for delay so finally slipped quietly into the front doors of the bank.
Standing just inside the combination foyer and hallway, Clayton visually scanned the area in more detail than he could through the thick steel and brick walls from outside. The area held a bank of ATMs along the wall, several large potted plants and a table covered with pamphlets about the various loans and investment opportunities the bank provided. Just outside the door which led to the main lobby, there was also a body.
The bastards, Clayton muttered to himself upon spotting the body of an elderly security guard who looked to have bled out from various gunshots to the belly.
Paragon Citys Emergency Medical Transporters were a miracle of the modern age. Their systems kept a constant readout of the vital statistics of everyone registered in their database whenever they were within the coverage area of the sensors. If the statistic showed major problems the person was automatically teleported from their location to the nearest medical facilities where emergency personnel stood ready to take care of them. The survival rate of those entered into the EMTs database was astounding. Unfortunately, there wasnt room in the database for every citizen of Paragon City.
They call us the heroes, Clayton thought. But they leave themselves at risk so that we can be protected. Clayton knew that the citizenry chose to have the heroes covered by the EMTs because they knew the dangers the heroes willingly stepped into on a daily basis but when looking at the prone, unmoving form of the security guard he couldnt help but think the system was flawed.
Upon moving closer to the body, being careful to stay out of sight of the open doorway for the moment, Clayton thought he saw the slightest rise and fall of the guards chest. Pulling up the sensors built into his suit he was able to determine the guard was still alive but the prospects of it staying that way didnt look good.
I have to get him out of here now, Clayton thought. No way to trick the EMT into teleporting him instead of me, theyre keyed into a bodies unique energy signatures. My own transporter only transports the armor and the pilot, nothing else. I could grab him and run outside but Id probably be spotted and who knows if The Lost will just open fire indiscriminately upon the hostages or what theyll do
Clayton didnt like the only solution that presented itself to him but besides leaving the guard there until this was finished and hoping he would last that long he honestly didnt know what else to do.
Daybreaker Alpha to dispatch, Clayton said after patching his suits inner radio to the PPD frequency.
Dispatch on, the monotone female voice said with a boredom achievable only after decades of sending people into emergency situations and learning the importance of being the one calm influence they had no matter how things turned out.
Dispatch, be advised that we have a security guard down in the hallway just inside the front door of Virtuous Bank. His condition is critical and he needs help ASAP. Im going to be moving into the main lobby. Ill take out the hostiles there as quickly as possible and hopefully provide a big enough distraction for you to send a couple officers in here to extract the guard. Clayton knew the plan was shaky he just couldnt think of a better one.
Dispatch to Daybreaker Alpha, we recommend you hold position until appropriate back up can arrive.
Received but negative, Clayton answered. The guard isnt going to last that long.
Dispatch to 7418, the bored voice called out with no indication of approving of Claytons plan or not.
7418 on. Copy direct, answered one of the officers already on scene, likely the one who had nodded to Clayton earlier.
Clayton had inched up to give himself an angle on which to look into the lobby. There seemed to be a grouping of three or four lost just within the doorway. Another one or two on the eastern wall. Sensors indicated even more heat signatures than that but heat signatures couldnt distinguish between hostages and hostage takers so Clayton was just going to have to go in half blind.
Daybreaker Alpha to dispatch.
Dispatch on.
Dispatch, be advised I am starting my distraction in 3
2
1
Shunting ever last scrap of energy into his battle armors strength systems until his gauntlets literally glowed with power, Clayton ran straight into the first trio of Lost members and hit the first with a double fisted overhead blow to the back of the neck which sent the dirty, disheveled scrounger into the floor face first. A left hook to the body of the next followed up by a straight right to his face and two of them were on the ground before the third even had time to draw his revolver out of his filthy, stained and raggedy pants. Clayton didnt let up his assault in the least.
A jab was followed up by a right hook which in turn was followed up by another jab and then a roundhouse blow to the head. Somewhere in the course of the constant barrage of blows Clayton heard and felt the revolver punch him with a couple of slugs, and it hurt and all, but his armor was able to stop the bullets even if it didnt fully negate the kinetic force behind them.
As the third scrounger was falling to the floor in a crumpled mass of bruised flesh and broken bones, the first two were regaining their feet after the initial shock of the attacks had worn off them. They were joined by three more members of The Lost, these coming from the small contingent Clayton had spotted along the eastern wall.
Clayton was suddenly surrounded. While not an entirely comfortable feeling, this had been the plan. Rather than shock and awe, Clayton had hoped to piss off and draw. His figuring had been that if he could make a big enough spectacle of himself, slap down enough of them hard enough and fast enough it just may enrage the others nearby to come after him instead of hiding behind hostages. Or worse, taking their aggression out on them.
Also, being surrounded did have its benefits. Putting the full force of his powered battle armor behind his every move, the quarters were suddenly so close that Clayton was sure to hit somebody with something whether he was throwing a punch, jabbing an elbow into someones ribs or just blindly kicking out hoping to hit someone standing or not.
Not that there werent disadvantages. Being this up and personal with this many Lost scroungers sure made it difficult for them to miss with their revolvers or their fists. Sure, being wrapped up in a protective can of some of the strongest metals on earth meant they were probably hurting their fists more than him but a constant barrage of even the weakest of blows will take its toll eventually. As for the shots from the revolvers, while they did have enough force behind them to hurt (and, Clayton suspected, leave bruises) the armors systems so far were happily reporting that the suits integrity was still riding up near one hundred percent and that he had little to worry about.
Even while he was jabbing and punching, bobbing and weaving and generally slugging it out with the press of Lost bodies, Claytons armors systems were scanning everything in the room. Through his direct neural connection with the onboard computers, the systems were able to tap into Claytons mind and use its resources to classify individuals as likely targets or friendlies with no conscious effort needed from Clayton. In turn, even in the heat and confusion of battle, Clayton was aware that his plan seemed to be working, the few Lost he had not seen hidden amongst the hostages when he first plunged into the room were jumping into the melee almost as quickly as Clayton was able to knock the earliest combatants out of it.
Clayton finally felt able to breathe a sigh of relief once, with nearly a dozen unconscious and broken bodies scattered around the center of the room, he was down to the last of The Lost. His sensors were indicating no wavering life signs amongst those in the room identified as hostages. A few panicked hostages, running scared from one end of the room to the other with no sense of direction and not enough wits about them to actually use the exit caused a bit of confusion for his sensors but all indications were of a happy outcome for this stage of the engagement.
Even while throwing the final knockout blow into the face of the last Lost brawler, Clayton noted his power levels were dangerously low but felt comfortable enough that hed have a moment to rest and recharge them in order to not mind wasting a bit more to scan the hallway he had entered from. All indications were that it was empty. That should be a good sign
.
Daybreaker Alpha to dispatch, he said, once again tapping into the police frequency and simultaneously allowing his armored battle suit to fall into rest mode and recoup its energy losses.
Dispatch on.
Dispatch, can I get an update on the security guard?
Affirmative. The guard was extracted without incident. Good job on the distraction, Alpha. Last information I have had him en route to Steel Canyon Medical Center, the dispatcher advised. Daybreaker Alpha, are you secure at your location.
Thats affirmative dispatch. For now. These hostages are starting to head out but be advised that sensors do indicate several people heading this way from the vault. Ill be moving on to
Before he could finish his sentence, Clayton found himself on the floor three feet from where he had been standing, the sound of the shotgun reverberating between his ears.
The three Mutates had been behind the bank tellers counter. Clayton had picked up their heat signatures but had assumed they were cowering tellers, not overgrown, misshapen mutates laying in wait for him to let his guard down so they could ambush him.
Al at once Clayton saw two of the mutates volleying over the counter, the third, the one with the shotgun, was reloading. In his ear, around the buzz left by the blast of the shotgun, the dispatcher was trying to reach him, asking again if his situation was secure.
No, Clayton thought. Situation is definitely insecure.
Standby, dispatch, he said instead of voicing his concerns and mentally tabbed one each of the red and blue boxes which sat in the bottom right hand corner of his internal heads up display.
The little boxes were icons for available emergency power backups. These resources are for emergency situations only, his Crey handlers had reminded time and again. Life and death, if you will, not just because the inspiration for more power strikes your fancy. They are quite expensive to manufacture and install compatibly with the RHP Battle Armor Prototype you wear. Further, their use has a negative impact upon the lifespan of the RHP Battle Armor Prototype. Each use costs Crey Corporation additional expense via both re-supplying your inventory as well as the necessity of more frequent maintenance of the armor.
Crey Corp: saving lives in the most fiscally responsible fashion possible, Clayton had thought at the time. Now, using the backup resources for the first time, he merely thought Screw it.
As power flooded back into his suit and his strength levels were increased a good ten to fifteen percent above recommended safe levels, Clayton climbed back to his feet even as the mutates closed in on him.
The first to reach him carried a sledgehammer and the thought that if the fists hadnt left bruises, this surely would quickly flittered through Claytons mind even as he raised his left arm up to shield his head from the blow. The sledgehammer crashed into Claytons elbow with enough force to send him staggering to the right. This proved fortunate as a half second later Clayton felt the handle of a firemans axe slam into his gut. If not for stagger after the first blow, the second Mutate would have caught his belly with the blade of the damn thing instead and Clayton didnt want to test his armor against that quite yet.
Having been slammed up close and personal with the slammer, Clayton delivered a quick uppercut to his jaw and then shoved his foot straight into the side of his knee. The axe wielder fell to the floor but Clayton didnt kid himself about him being down for good. Still, no reason not to put the time to good use.
Turning back to Mr. Sledgehammer, Clayton delivered a flurry of body blows into the mutated bastards ribs and stomach. Sure, a solid head shot may knock him out but getting such a clean shot through on a fresh and ready opponent was rare outside of a Tyson fight, pre-ear biting days. Early body work was usually key to being the last man standing; besides, body work was done in close which negated the advantage the sledgehammer gave his opponent.
Just as sensors warned him that his other opponent was regaining his feet, Clayton heard another shotgun blast go off. His sensors immediately informed him that the trajectory had been off target but Clayton had kind of figured that out himself what with the not getting knocked on his butt again and all.
Worried about the ax wielder again, and knowing the one still behind the counter was undoubtedly reloading again, Clayton decided it was time to move to the head and go for the knockout. Sending a left upper cut into Slammers jaw, Clayton took a step back to follow it up with a right hook and a straight left to the head. Slammer was out, but out on his feet. Pulling back to deliver one last blow to turn and focus on the Ax-hole behind him, Clayton once again found himself laying flat on his face.
From behind him, the mutate had swung his firemans axe into the small of Claytons back and sent him crashing into the slammer hed been about to finish off and which he was now laying on top of. Unhappy to find himself prone atop what was undoubtedly a very smelly criminal (Clayton had to assume since his armor filtered his air supply) he was nonetheless pleased that despite the sudden ache in his back that his systems reported his armors integrity was still intact.
Flipping back onto his feet, Clayton launched into the axe wielder. A shot to the gut and a hook to the ribs were immediately followed up by a head butt delivered with enough force that even Claytons own ears were ringing from the metal of his helmet crashing into the bone of the mutates skull.
Staying too close to The Lost member for him to effectively wield his axe, Clayton delivered blow after blow even while keeping a thought to his readouts, knowing he needed to conserve some energy for the blaster with the shotgun. It was a straight punch intended to crush his opponents nose but which instead landed square against his throat which finished the mutate off. He dropped to his knees immediately and started struggling to breathe.
Go ahead and choke out, Clayton thought as he turned away from the disabled opponent to face the one still half hidden behind the counter. You all asked for this. That guard did nothing but try to earn a living.
The Blaster behind the counter had just finished reloading his shotgun. His suit having stood up to the beating so far, Clayton wasnt worried about the shotgun blast so her merely held his ground and braced for impact. Even ready for it, when he was hit he couldnt help but be shoved back a step but besides that the suit was performing beautifully.
Noting the flashing indicators on his heads up display warning him that his back up power supply and boost would be drained soon, Clayton wasted no time before going after the freakishly large, deformed, mutated Lost member. Running forward, Clayton leapt over the counter and tackled the Blaster. The battle armor was optimized for stand up fights but Clayton figured the pure weight of the armor on top of the mutate should provide an advantage that made up for it.
Clayton unleashed the full might of the powered armor battle suit, concerned about his flagging power. Previously, while by no means going easy on the criminals, he had held back some of the suits power for fear of crippling what was, more or less, ordinary humans. With his power running out, this freak looking a bit more non human than the others, and a suspicion that it was this ones shotgun which had taken out the guard, Clayton felt no qualms about dealing out real damage.
The slammer, for his part, had little means to fight back. Being on his back gave him little leverage for throwing punches back and the few he did manage were further dulled by the armor he was pounding on with nothing but his bare fists. In no time at all the Slammer was reduced to doing nothing but trying to shield himself from the onslaught and even that was moot once the Daybreaker drove a metal plated knee into the mutates groin with enough force to cause him to blackout.
Gaining his feet and standing over the most recently fallen of The Lost, Clayton saw in his mind that tiny blue tab finally wink out and felt his armor lose all functions except the most basic.
Good timing, he thought to himself and then immediately made a mental note to voice concern to his Crey handlers about power storage. It was one thing to run dry with trusted allies at your back who can cover you while you recoup your energies but even the tightest group can get separated in battle and an automatic shutdown could be deadly under those circumstances
Allowing his Daybreaker Armor the time it needed to once again collect the energies it needed to function fully, Clayton took a few moments to concentrate on the more passive and energy efficient systems. First he did a scan of the immediate area and noted the vast majority of the hostages had already fled.
Its safe to leave now, he said after turning on the speaker which allowed him to talk to those around him without trying to shout through the armor. Please exit in an orderly fashion, there will be officers waiting outside to assist you and take your statements.
It was so weird, one of the last of the hostages to leave said. That woman
She wasted no time in going after the vault and the money. These guys though, they were just keeping us here and mumbling something about gods and artifexes and demons and other nonsense. None if it makes any sense.
Its all right now. Youre safe. We'll try to make sense of it later, Clayton advised the man who looked to perhaps be a manager of the bank while gently prodding him out towards the hallway that led outside.
Yeah, alright. Good. But, what about that woman? I didnt see her leave. Did she escape? Did she get into the vault?
Clayton probed deeper into the building with his heat sensors and quickly found three signatures that just now seemed to be exiting the vault area.
I believe shes headed this way now, he advised the man.You just head outside until its all over. Ill take care of her.
Ok. Sure
And, uh, thanks, whatever ya call yourself, the man said even as he was running out the door.
Whatever I call myself, Clayton thought with a smirk even as he tracked the heat signatures headed his way. Even in his brief career, Clayton had already met more than a few so called heroes who would have taken personal offense at not being recognized by sight. Paragon City needed all the heroes it could get but in Claytons opinion the hundreds or thousands running around were turning the hero gig from something noble to a kind of popularity contest. Wendy would have argued with him about that, she would have gone on about how a hero had to be known so they could set the example for everyone else. But Wendy was gone. Dead. Murdered because there was no hero around when one was needed. All Clayton cared about was doing what he could to avenge her death and prevent as many others as possible
With his suits power levels back up to sixty-three percent and the last three of the crooks headed his way; Clayton powered his armor back up and positioned himself in a doorway they would have to go through if they wanted to leave without blowing out a wall. Waiting patiently for them to reach him, allowing his energy levels to ticked slowly higher and higher, Clayton remembered that he had been abruptly cut off from the dispatcher earlier.
Daybreaker Alpha to dispatch, he said after once more opening up the police frequency.
Dispatch on, Alpha. Youre condition?
The lobby is secure and sensors indicate the hostages are all clear of the building, dispatch, Clayton answered. Be advised there are still three suspects headed towards my location but it should be safe to send officers into the lobby to detain those there as long as they are cautious.
Received. Thank you, Alpha, the dispatcher said and then started relaying information to the real police officers outside the bank. Clayton cut the connection to the police frequency and focused his attention on the three last heat signatures which would about to turn the corner and run smack into him.
As they ran around the corner and finally spotted him, the three figures paused for only the briefest of moments. The two males, both members of The Lost and both obviously lackey types brought along to help carry loot rather than for their muscle, ran right towards Clayton. The female, Echidna if her ugliness was an indication, skidded to a halt an immediately launched two large, boney looking spines right at the chest of the Daybreaker.
As fast as the spines flew, Claytons systems were able to track their trajectory and report they would head him dead in the chest. He knew he could get out of the way in time but not without leaving gap enough that one or more of them may be able to slip through to get past him. Clayton took the calculated risk that if his armor could withstand a shotgun blast it could withstand impact from these things and was rewarded for his courage when the first struck him and shattered and the second ricocheted off his armor and embedded itself securely in the ceiling tiles.
The first male was surely a new recruit to The Lost for he knew nothing of combat and ran blindly towards Clayton at full speed with apparently no thought to defending himself. Clayton held himself ready until the moment the fool stepped into range and then Clayton unleashed a devastating left hook, right upper cut combination which lifted his opponent off his feet and had him unconscious before he hit the floor.
The second male proved a small part more intelligent for instead of trying to confront the Daybreaker he changed directions at the last minute and tried to slip past him and through the doorway. Clayton quickly reached out and snagged the criminal by the back of his neck.The criminals feet went out from under him and Clayton easily and quickly swung his for around and introduced his face to the reinforced wall.
Two down, one to go, Clayton thought to himself as he turned and started to walk slowly towards Echidna.
So, she said, fresh spines in each hand readied to be used as weapons. I guess this is where you tell me to surrender.
Clayton said nothing, merely continued to walk towards the villainess. He had never hit a girl in his life. Not even as a Daybreaker. In the normal course of his life the very idea would have been unthinkable to him. As a Daybreaker the situation hadnt presented itself before this.
The strong silent type, huh? She asked, seeming a bit unnerved by his silence. But arent you supposed to tell me Im under arrest? Read me my rights or something?
Even as he walked towards her, his sensors scanning her every movement and twitch so as to be prepared for her assault, Clayton wasnt sure hed be able to do it.
Fine. Fine, Echidna said, dropping the spines and raising her hands in the air. I surrender. Throw me in the Zig again. Ill be out before you finish your paperwork, or whatever you cape-types do.
Claytons right gauntlet slammed into her ribs. His left sent the air whooshing out of her lungs as it punched into her stomach. A half second later, as she was bent over and gasping to reclaim her breath, both fists came crashing down on her back and sent her crashing to the floor unconscious.
Hitting a girl ended up being easier than he suspected. All it took was for him to block them out and instead envision the gaunt, pallid face of Malfearance, the [censored] which had slaughtered his fiancé.
That and a convenient, if temporary, problem with his cochlear implants.
Daybreaker Alpha to dispatch.
Dispatch on, go ahead.
Dispatch, be advised the building is secure. The last of the suspects are down. Anything else you could use a hand with?
Good job, Alpha. Thank you. And when cant we use an extra hand? Standby and Ill see what I have
As always, feel free to comment, critique, ridicule, ask questions, make suggestions, whatever.
Yeah, I tried to log in earlier. Several servers were up but not Virtue. So I'm hitting the sack now.