Chapter 542 - 542: Rescuing Klatos
Rin stepped onto the catwalk and crouched beside Xavier while scanning the perimeter. "That is a lot of firepower for a simple salvage crew, and they have mounted turrets on the upper scaffolding alongside at least fifty men on the floor."
"They are a splinter cell trying to build an arsenal," Xavier replied as his eyes tracked a group of guards moving toward a makeshift holding pen near the primary generator rigs. He spotted a familiar avian figure chained to a steel beam inside the enclosure. Klatos was stripped of his armor and covered in dark blood, hanging by his wrists while two Scrap Hounds beat him with electro-batons. "And they have our pilot, so let's go get him back."
Xavier vaulted over the railing of the catwalk and plummeted forty feet straight down into the center of the drydock. He landed with a heavy crash that dented the metal floor plating, which instantly drew the attention of the surrounding scrappers.
Before any of them could raise their weapons, Xavier snapped his wrist forward. Serpent's Fang lashed out in a brutal arc, and the bladed chain tore completely through the torsos of the three closest thugs.
Blood and severed organs sprayed across the rusted deck as the upper halves of their bodies hit the floor.
Rin dropped from the catwalk a second later, landing in a crouch right amidst a squad of rogue AIL enforcers. He drew both his swords in a singular motion and spun like a hurricane of steel, severing arms and decapitating two men before they could even pull their triggers.
The drydock erupted into absolute chaos as alarms blared and the remaining Scrap Hounds scrambled to open fire on the intruders.
"Kill them both!" the salvage foreman screamed from the upper scaffolding as he aimed a heavy plasma rifle down at the floor.
Xavier ignored the incoming fire and charged directly toward the holding pen. Bullets ricocheted off the debris around him as he swung his chain whip upward, wrapping the bladed segments around the support beam of the sniper's scaffolding.
He planted his boots and ripped his arm backward with immense force. The entire metal structure buckled and collapsed inward, sending the foreman and his rifle crashing violently into the side of the AIL carrier.
Rin flanked him seamlessly, deflecting incoming rounds with his blades while slicing through anyone stupid enough to step into his path. They reached the holding pen in less than a minute, leaving a trail of butchered mercenaries and severed limbs in their wake.
Xavier kicked the reinforced gate off its hinges and stepped into the enclosure. The two guards holding the electro-batons turned around in panic, but Xavier drove his hand straight through the first man's chest and crushed his heart while Rin decapitated the second one with a casual flick of his wrist.
Xavier approached the steel beam and grabbed the heavy chains binding Klatos's wrists. He easily snapped the metal links apart with his bare hands and let the avian mercenary collapse into his arms.
Klatos coughed up a mouthful of dark blood and looked up at Xavier through a swollen, bruised eye.
"You took your sweet time," Klatos rasped as he leaned against the metal beam to keep himself upright. "I was starting to think you forgot about me."
"I had to handle a shapeshifting lizard wearing your face," Xavier said as he draped Klatos's arm over his shoulder to support his weight. "Can you walk, or do I need to carry you out of this hole?"
"I can walk," Klatos grunted while gripping his injured ribs. "But we are not leaving yet because these bastards found something inside the carrier's hidden data drives before you crashed it. They extracted coordinates for a secure vault belonging to Bull, and they are preparing to transmit the location to the rest of the AIL."
Xavier's eyes narrowed as he looked toward the heavily guarded command center overlooking the drydock. "Well, I guess we are taking their heads and their data before we leave."
Xavier dropped Klatos's arm from his shoulder and handed him a discarded plasma pistol from one of the dead guards. "Stay behind us and shoot anyone who gets too close."
Klatos checked the charge on the weapon and leaned against the steel beam for support. "Just get the coordinates before they broadcast them across the entire system."
Xavier spun Serpent's Fang in his grip, the bladed chain rattling as he broke into a sprint toward the metal stairs leading up to the command center.
Rin flanked him instantly while a dozen Scrap Hounds poured out of the reinforced doors of the control room.
The scavengers leveled heavy repeating rifles and opened fire, tearing through the metal grating of the stairs. Xavier channeled his strength into his legs and vaulted entirely over the first volley, landing directly in the center of their formation. He whipped his chain in a wide arc, and the serrated edges sliced completely through the heavy armor of three men to spill their guts onto the rusted floor.
Rin ascended the stairs right behind him as his twin swords became a blur of polished steel. He deflected incoming plasma rounds and drove his blades directly through the necks of two remaining shooters, clearing the path entirely.
Xavier kicked the control room doors off their hinges, sending the heavy metal slabs crashing into the tactical consoles inside.
The salvage foreman's lieutenant stood by the primary terminal, frantically typing launch codes to initiate the data transmission. Five elite enforcers stepped in front of him with shock mauls ignited, ready to defend the console.
"Kill the transmission," Xavier commanded as he wrapped the chain around his forearm.
The enforcers charged forward, swinging their crackling weapons.
Xavier sidestepped the first swing of a maul and drove his fist straight into the man's throat, crushing his windpipe entirely.
Rin slid past the others while severing hamstrings and driving his blades upward into their skulls before they could even react.
Xavier threw his chain whip forward, and the bladed tip wrapped securely around the lieutenant's wrist. He jerked his arm back and ripped the man's hand completely off.
"Aagh!" The lieutenant collapsed to the floor screaming as he clutched his bleeding stump, spraying blood across the glowing terminal screens.
"You scream like a girl."