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Chapter Six: Split Paths
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Andaluza shook his head. “When will you learn.” Andaluza melted open the hangar doors from Jack’s engine heat. “Jack…”
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Apollo watched the events unfold. “Pandora, just beat up one of them if it gets too much for either of them. I owe you some head busting time.”
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Jack turned around, leaning on the door. He sighed. Why couldn’t they just leave him alone? He would only compromise them. And this way, the only person who would get hurt if Jack failed his mission was himself. It was a win-win. He turned around as the hangar melted. He balled his fists together.
“When are you going to learn?” He said, staring at him.
“You’re a fucked up little kid with daddy issues and too much power. I am not someone to fuck with, Andy.” He said, stepping closer to him.
“You wanna fight now? Fine. But every second you waste venting your anger out on some guy who’s girlfriend you already killed are seconds you’re wasting saving those kids Ozzy abducted. But if you really want to challenge me in front of Apollo, fine. I won’t back down. I already stopped your heart once.” Jack balled his fists again, his knuckles cracking loudly.
“I’ll do it again.”
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Andaluza simply let his guard down and turned around.
“I think you’re angry enough. You’re going to ride on your previous fame when you have no power on your own at this point. You need The Keepers more than ever. Also, I wouldn’t want to fight me at a time like this, so you’re having an even worse chance at this angle.”
Andaluza took a deep breath and blasted Jack across to the end of his ship with a loud snapping noise from the metal. “All those weeks spent in Apollo’s gym paid off, didn’t it?” Andaluza lifted up Jack and shook him silly. “ANSWER ME!”
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Jack kicked off of his chest, Andaluza going backwards and Jack landing on the ground.
“Don’t! Not now, not here. I have things to do, things more important than kicking some asshole fuck who wants to start shit! You don’t want me to black out again, Andaluza. The last time I did, you almost died. Just walk away. There are kids to save.”
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Andaluza lifted up Jack and held him in the air, his eyes turning white. “You don’t even try what you’re about to do…” Andaluza’s eyes prepared to boil Jack’s blood into a gaseous extract that comes out of his nose, his nose visibly bleeding already.
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Apollo shouted and dashed behind Andaluza, hitting the back of his head at a medium strength, knocking off his heat vision. He then ran infront of him made him release Jack by hitting his wrists.
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Jack groaned and struggled, and his hands felt across the kitchen table, grabbing a knife. He shouted in effort, shoving the blade into Andaluza’s shoulder. Jack dropped to the ground, still slightly blind and tackling Andaluza through a table, pinning him down.
“Just stop! Stop! Stop!” He shouted, his hands shaking.
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Andaluza dodged the knife and the pinning, but blinked a little bit after getting bopped by Apollo. “Thanks…I needed that.”
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Jack scrambled on the ground against a wall, his hands shaking. Apollo had thrown Andaluza off of him after Jack stabbed him. He took deep breaths, calming himself down. As his vision slowly faded from red to normal, he stood up, running a hand through his short hair.
“I’m glad that’s over.” He said softly. He was relieved he didn’t have an episode again.
“This is what happens when I’m in the Keepers. All of this.” He surveyed the destruction of the kitchen.
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Apollo pulled the knife out of the ground and put it in Jack’s hand. “I got this.” Apollo began running around the kitchen, putting up various things one by one, then standing in front of the wall. “Hey, this might get a little hot.” Apollo bent the steel plates together, his hands turning red as he welded the plates together. “There, as good as…” Apollo surveyed the damage again, realizing it looked pretty bad. “Yeah I don’t fix well.”
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“I don’t have a medbay on this ship.” Jack said, staring at Andaluza on the floor.
“You disgust me.” He said, picking up the dazed Andaluza.
“You’re done fighting. You’re off the team. And I’m taking your spot.” He said, throwing him into the dirt outside the ship.
“You need to re-evaluate what you just did. Everything you’ve done so far for this team. And when you think you’re ready, I’ll consider hiring you again. Until then, fight the OGA yourself.” Jack closed the slightly damaged doors of the hangar.
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Andaluza shook his head as his vision came back. “Wow, I feel horrible.”
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Jack put his hands on the damaged table, sighing.
“He’s fired. Apollo, you’re my right-hand man now. Pandora, you’re moving up too. Everyone quit or was fired except us three, which means our remaining resources are what we have. Let’s go. Apollo, you pilot. I need time to get my bearings and form a plan.”
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Apollo looked at Andaluza. “I think it’s for the best. Go, I have trained you enough in your abilities.”
Apollo then turned to Jack. “This means, that you are the leader again. I am stepping down. Oh, and by the way, you might wonder where we got the slick uniforms, right? I got one for you right here.” Apollo whipped out a black and dark gray uniform with a similar colored seal, a little shorter but had a red streak on the side, resembling Jack’s eyes.
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