Chapter 190: Those More Paranoid

Cliff and his team had soon found an enclosed launchpad for Armors and Exoskeletons. The warehouse was locked shut. The large garage door could only open through the main controls. The group only managed to go inside the room through the small port on the roof. Even the two pieces of the EMP bomb were masked because they were inside the building. As such, the group was resting and regenerating.

"So what do we do now? Those Exoskeletons might soon awaken. And it looks like we can't sneak into the inner levels. No building is easily accessed. Their paranoia is as strange as ever." Scribs complained.

"The storm caused their paranoia. This is a weapon of New Great Britain, after all. So if your right in the middle of a tech attack, you have to be cautious."

"Then what do we do? We're running out of time!"

"We are right on top of where our weapons are. So we need to find a way to open the doors. So here's my suggestion." Gardo suddenly laughed.

"We fight. We cause a ruckus. It will cause people to send their men up here. If these launch pads open, we can get down on the lower levels." Gardo suggested.

"What? Fight them? Haven't you noticed that all patrolling soldiers are wearing Exoskeletons?" Dara argued.

"Of course. I'd do the same. Weather conditions like this will make it very hard to see. I'd need at least an Exoskeleton to patrol outside."

"If we cause a ruckus, then we'd be swarmed with Exoskeletons and Armors! We don't have our suits! We won't be able to fight back."

"Hey, Hey! Don't get angry, lady! Just my suggestion! If a ruckus happens, then they'd send some men up! We're already here! Didn't you notice? This room has no lights. It's just some roof deck that is designed to keep enemies from attacking the Exoskeletons from coming out of here! This must be Benteriallyon steel. No electrical wires are used here. This is like a turtle shell that protects the launch pads from any aerial attacks. It's dark. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue as WGP Exoskeletons have vast techs of detection. But with our ability to limit our heat, we can blend in and avoid thermal scans, and the darkness will simply cover us. They get up, and we slide down."

"He has a point." Earl agreed.

"What if we wait for those Exoskeletons to wake up or call? If they call them and they don't answer, wouldn't they send people up?"

"Yes. But we don't know which launch pads they would use to send their soldiers on. Gardo's right. We need to cause a ruckus to bring people up here." Cliff concluded.

"But that's insane! Who among us can fight a troop of Exoskeletons?"

"I can." Cliff sighed.

Everyone excluding the soldiers and Cliff's Drug dealers were surprised.

"It's annoying… But I can. I'm at Surmounting Unbecoming. My punches can hurt the pilots. It'll hurt like hell after, but I think it's enough until you guys find your armor.

"Sounds fun. Can I join?" Gardo laughed.

"You?" Dara was stunned.

"Yeah. I've had my share of fighting Exoskeletons while I was unarmed during the South Asian Scuffle."

"You were there?"

"It solidified my standing as the head of the family. It's similar to the Novelty-Blastoise's True Inheritor position. But you gotta prove yourself."

"Besides… I don't have any weapons down there. I also want to cause the ruckus so that my boys can send me my toys." Gardo laughed.

"Then it's settled." Cliff nodded his head.

"Wait! General Seeker said that because of General Lowengren, the WGP might have their strongest force here. What if something like a Rule appears? You'll die!" Roselyn warned.

"Yeah. But I'm not worried. Our entry here is so secret and so strange because of our paranoia. We expected that even with our plans, they'll still be able to detect us. Now that we're here, it's either that we succeeded or they are luring us to a trap. Either way, causing a ruckus will be to our advantage."

"Are you crazy? I thought you were a coward. How come you're suddenly so noble! You want to buy us time for us to get our suits at the cost of your life, right? I am against this. We came as a team; we fight and die as a team!" Roselyn argued.

"Roselyn, calm down. General Cliff is right. Besides, I've been working with General Harker all my life. He sent me here, precisely to be a strategist to our team. I can assure you that if a Rule is here, and if we cause a ruckus, the chances of the Rule's going after Cliff would be very, very low. That should give us time to use the EMP bomb."

"Why?"

"Because the ruckus is unnecessary. The assumption is, if we got here without being detected, is that we have superior technology. How else can we bypass everything? But if General Cliff attacks, it will surprise the enemy. Those with the Rule will assume that there is a traitor in their midst. General Harker met with those representatives from the WGP, and he did tell us that he'll warn the WGP of a possible attack."

"Then that makes it even scarier! The WGP will immediately send their best to kill Cliff!"

"Wrong. They'll stay put and guard the most important parts of the Kraken. If we've successfully made an infiltration, it will make the WGP think we can go down the control rooms, the engine rooms, or even the reactors of this ship! They won't move."

"That's just gambling with probabilities."

"Tyler's right Roselyn. I've been working with Seeker too, and I've seen his plans. He's paranoid. But right now, our enemies will be more paranoid."

"Boss. We-"

"No. If you guys want to help me, you better get down there and get my weapon, boots, and armguards." Cliff explained.

"Weapon? You don't have an Exoskeleton?" Dara was stunned.

"No. All I have is a newly developed Pangean Eradication Blade, a booster skate, and those arm thingies that help me navigate my booster skate on air."

"What?" Dara felt as if something shot through her pride.

"You thought Cliff has an Exoskeletal suit like you? No. I did tell you he trained fighting Exoskeletons without a suit. You think I was joking?" Tyler frowned.

"I have a Realm Somatotopy. Wearing a suit hinders the sound. Trust me. I'm better without the suit. I assume the rest of you can hide at the back?"

Tyler nodded.

"What about the EMP bombs? How can we keep it up here without being detected?" Cliff asked.

"Titan… Wait here for a bit and hide by the exhaust port. With the chaos that I will bring, they'd probably not have any time to check on the Exhaust port. It should mask the tech by a bit. Besides, since they'll be fighting and triggering the alarm, if their sensors pick up some strange tech, they wouldn't be surprised." Tyler directed.

"So, I deploy it after you guys jump in?"

Right. Too risky if we activate the EMP bomb before they get in. I was told that this has Lennox's lightning. It should be stronger than the EMP bombs in Australia. If the ports don't open, we'd have no way of getting in. But once they're in, deploy it. Are there any exoskeletons nearby? Preferably a pair of Exoskeletons."

"There's a pair up north. Over the structure."

"Which way is north again?" Cliff asked.

"Erm… You don't know?"

"No. I have no idea where north is."

"That way." Scribs pointed.

"See you." Cliff immediately leaped an extremely high speed and reached the small exhaust chamber.

"Well… See you when I see you. Or if I see you." Gardo giggled and followed suit.

Titan also jumped up and used on of the four exhaust chambers and hid there with the EMP bombs.

"Move to the back corner. When they cause a ruckus, these chambers will open. Let's rush in and jump at the least possible moment." Tyler explained.

Cliff and Gardo were outside.

"So right before the moment, they land…"

"I see… I kick the leg. It distributes the force, and with a little more pressure, I can dislocate the pilot's leg."

"Yup. My guys should be able to break the bones. You should be able to fracture the pilot's leg through that."

"Nice. I'll give it a whirl. What will you do? I want to see you in action." Gardo laughed.

"Our last battle was intense, after all. If this is Advent and you're in Surmounting, then you should be at least three times stronger than me. Why didn't you take me out back then?"

"I couldn't. We fought on the public. What if the Aragarians were watching? I can't go beyond a certain level of strength and skill."

"Even when I managed to shoot you?"

"I've had worse. Let's go." Cliff shrugged and started to move and headed for the structure that Scribs referred to earlier.

They landed on top of the roof and ran towards the direction of where the Exoskeleton was.

Cliff could see the pair standing, and he jumped.

As Cliff was landing, he used his momentum to grab on the Exoskeleton and throw it to smash it with the other.

BANG!

Gardo was surprised. It was very hard to lift and throw an Exoskeleton while on mid-air.

The Exoskeletons resounded on impact.

CLANG!

"ARGH!"

"Enemy alert!" The first to recover immediately shouted.

They raised their arms as the ports that had their weapons in opened and started to search for Cliff.

"Where's the enemy?" The soldier panicked as no trace of enemies could be seen. They had been using thermal and tech visions to search for the enemy, but no signs could be seen.

"Nothing on thermal!" One of the soldiers complained.

Cliff rushed once more and delivered a powerful kick, which threw the first Exoskeleton a bit of distance and rushed towards the other Exoskeleton, who was continually aiming with his right hand. Cliff grabbed the arm and employed a shoulder throw to smash the Exoskeleton with the other.

SMASH!

"AHHH!" Another pained cry echoed.

"What's going on? I can't see the enemy! Send back up!" The thrown soldier alerted. Right after he said that another kick reached him and sent him off by a few meters.

The pair of Exoskeletons suddenly used their headlights and started to search for the enemy.

"How many are there?"

"I don't-"

Yet again, one of them was thrown as Cliff took advantage of his running momentum and smashed it to the other.

The other cried out once more as the impact finally hurt him.

"Move away from me!" The first soldier finally cried.

And both shuffled to move away from each other.

"Finally." Cliff smiled.

The two continued to scan for Cliff, but Cliff was moving too fast.

One of the Exoskeletons, switched his view and went back to thermal and continued to look around. Suddenly, thermal scans finally picked up something.

"What the…?" The pilot was stunned.

Out of thin air, the heat started to form in the shape of a human.

"Die!" The Exoskeleton began to shoot in shock.

Cliff moved so fast that one dash and he was already below the extended arm of the Exoskeleton.

With a little redirection, the bullets started flying and striking the other Exoskeleton.

With Cliff's memories, he quickly allowed the arm to aim at the head of other Exoskeleton.

The bullets shot slowly started to penetrate through the other Exoskeletons helmet.

The moment the first Exoskeleton gave the alert, the base already started moving. Various intense scans were made in the entire region, and all the Armor were asked to report.

At the center of the Kraken, the Emperors remained cautious.

"No scans of any enemy movements on all scanners… And then we suddenly have an alert right in the middle of the Kraken. Maybe we should just blow up this Kraken." The anger of the Empress could still be felt despite the calm composure of how she stated that.

"You can't be seriously thinking of blowing this entire fortress up?" The Emperor asked seriously.

"Do you know who it is that's planning to betray us? The Fleet Admiral? If so, then this entire Kraken deserves to be burned. That way, we can kill any important spies they have here. Who knows? What if this entire base is against us? It's effortless to hide things even from us. We rarely visit Krakens or Atlantis. If that is true, then we can only flee and come back with more forces."

"What do you think it is they are after?"

"It's just a guess… But maybe the target isn't the Kraken. Maybe it's us. They knew we would be in Pangea and knew that Harker would betray them."

"They are planning to lure and kill us, Emperors, huh? They are making up a surprise infiltration to alert us. How can they kill us? Only a weapon of mass destruction can damage a Rule. Are they going to blow up the reactor?"

"That's one probability. I've been monitoring the reactor since the start. No changes seemed to have been made. They probably want us to appear to distract us from battle. And when they're sure were here, and when we are distracted, they blow it up.'"

"But the Rule could protect us even from a Nuclear bomb! And even if the Rule would be damaged, nothing can match the speed of our Exoskeletons."

"Maybe that's what they wanted. A Rule." The Empress concluded.

"Of course!" The Emperor realized.

"It's impossible to make a Rule! They want to use the materials of a Rule to build another!"

Suddenly the Emperor fell into deep thought.

"Isn't that a bit of an overkill? Having a Kraken is too much of a sacrifice to get two or three Rules! Three Rules cannot match the pure destructive output of a single Kraken!"

"Yes. But not everyone in this Kraken is their ally. Harker is telling the truth. He warned us of an attack. He must be doing it for his own countries sake and to get back at Australia. It will be to his advantage if this Kraken remains. So right now, we don't know what the enemy's intentions are. We can only make guesses. Are they trying to destroy the Kraken, or are they trying to make us appear?"

The alerts started to increase as the deaths of several soldiers were confirmed.

"Aren't we going to attack now?" The Emperor frowned. He was waiting for the Empress to move.

"No. We don't know what their true plan is. As I said, they may be using this to confirm that we are here. Three rules can't compete with a Kraken, but what if they use it to build something else? Perhaps it's something that we haven't encountered yet. We've monopolized the creation of this type of Almetals. So it wouldn't be a stretch for them to sacrifice one whole Kraken for it."

"So, that's why you were considering sinking this ship."

"Yes. But then again, we might fall into a disadvantage. What if they wanted us to discover this, and losing the Kraken would be more advantageous to them? If they already have Australia and Pangea, losing a Kraken will greatly limit our control over here. For now, let's see what we can do. Let's just aim to stop their plans."

"Aim to stop their plans? Since when have the Emperors been so helpless?"

"It's better this way. The boredom would have killed me otherwise. What we have to do is simply stop them from succeeding. We wait for the Emperor's summit and report all that we have found out. If my daughter succeeds, it will be easier for us to discern whatever this organization is after."

The Emperor was silent at the mention of Fleet Admiral Magantae.

"You… You're just buying time for your daughter." The Emperor hesitated at first, but since he already started his sentence, he decided to finish it.

"You sent your daughter there with hopes that she will uncover crucial information. That way, despite her blood, she could ascend as a Queen. As for us, you want us to simply foil whatever plans our enemies have and not gain any advantage."

The Empress laughed.

"It was never intended to be a secret. Yes. Your ability to deduce shows your growth as an Emperor. Correct. If we act wildly and catch an enemy, we could gather the information anyway. But if we do this, and my daughter acquires the intel, then she would be given several promotions."

"Sickening. Manipulative. You haven't changed. You are using even me and Odinsbane's affection to follow your commands!" The Emperor grumbled.

"You're free to check out the attacker if you want."

The Emperor frowned but didn't do anything.

"No. I can't. Even if you are using this event to push your daughters standing among the Rulers, your strategy is still sound. I don't want to lose the Kraken."

"Correct. My personal plans aside, this is the best action we can take. We guard every inch of this area. This is the most important location of the Kraken. If the enemy plans on using an EMP bomb to destroy the Kraken, and the Kraken's destruction is the enemy's target, then this platform would be the perfect place to deploy it. The area where the enemy was reported is on the south-western end. If we leave now, we won't be able to protect this place."

"And if the enemy's goal is to attack us and steal the Rule, they still need to disable this place. So an EMP attack would be perfect here. They destroy the defenses here, we won't be able to monitor the reactor, and they can secretly use it to self-destruct it." The Emperor angrily gnashed his teeth.

"Exactly. So don't worry. Those small attacks will soon be dealt with. Our job is to ensure that no EMP Bombs explode within this platform."

The Emperor was silent.

"I guess you have a point. It would be useless if they use the EMP bomb on that platform."

BOOM!

A powerful electromagnetic explosion with blue sparks of lightning exploded on the south-western platform of the Kraken.