Now that they had a place to stay, their productivity increased drastically.
Logic immediately set up a workstation in the corner to begin his investigations, utilising the compass and tech he brought with him from the past to chart the timeline and look for anomalies.
Hope cast a cursory glance over the equipment, not out of curiosity but to ensure it didn’t interfere with the running of her hideout. She returned to another work bench, outfitting a few of her guns with modifications. She looked up and watched Rage do the same, picking up a few pistols from the wall and disassembling them to put them together in new configurations. They brought them to the shooting range and tested them, punching holes in three targets with expert accuracy. “You know your way around weapons” Hope remarked.
“I know my way around a lot of things” they replied, shooting a glance at her while they reloaded.
She couldn’t be sure, but she detected a smirk under that hood and smiled. “Maybe you could show me. I’m gearing up for a new mission” she said, walking over to pick up an assault rifle with a scope and extended magazine. “The Society move their gear across the island using the rail system. I want to hank their on-board computer so I can figure out what they’re transporting and where. You’re welcome to come along” she said.
Rage considered the invitation. It would be the least they could do to say thanks for letting them stay. Plus, the brawler was getting bored hiding underground. “Sounds like fun” they grinned, picking up a shotgun and sliding a stock grip into position.
She smiled, happy for the company.
They walked through the basement gathering some more weapons and equipment. Along the way Rage asked “so what is it you have against the society anyway?”
“I’m a rebel. I despise authority” she replied vaguely. She turned back to her companion, explaining “the Society have a lot to answer for. They control the island and don’t take kindly to outsiders. I’m sure the reception you received spelled it out to you?” they nodded. “I’ve been fighting them for a while. Until recently I was a solo act. But then I got a few friends. Hopefully I will get a few more” she added, giving the figure a cursory look.
They passed the others on the way, who were gathered around a table unboxing a pizza. “I’m amazed we were able to get it delivered here” Fear marvelled.
And by here, he meant a drop box on the surface which Courage deftly collected during a perimeter sweep. He saw the two fighters gearing up to leave, walking over asking where they were headed. “To cause a little trouble and mayhem” Rage joked.
Courage adjusted his hat. “You’re welcome to join us” Hope said politely.
“Thanks, but I want to do a little exploring of my own” he said, declining the invitation.
Hope nodded, hiding the smile that told him she was hoping for that answer. Rage caught it however and cocked an eyebrow. She just smirked. “If you’re going above ground, be careful. The Society have bases set up all over. And if you…”
Her thoughts were interrupted by a door banging open, followed by a quick “it’s just me, before you think of drawing a gun on…” the tall man in a trench coat stopped when he realised they had guests. “Oh, it’s a party. And I wasn’t invited?”
“Jones?” Empathy blinked in surprise, looking up from her pizza.
Jonesy looked around and stared at her. He appeared much more grim-faced than the last time they saw him. He wore body armour and a trench coat and an unkempt beard. “Have we met?” he asked.
She opened her mouth to explain they had when Logic appeared behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You must be the partner Hope told us about.”
“We’re sorry about your friend” Empathy nodded.
Jonesy narrowed his eyes before turning to the blue haired woman. “Are they on the level?” he asked suspiciously.
“They’re clean. They aren’t with the Society. Quite the opposite” she told him.
He nodded, walking past her and picking up a rifle. “Whatever. I’ve got a lead on Peely’s whereabouts. I’ll let you know when I hear anything” he said.
“Can we help?” Courage asked him.
Jonesy looked him up and down intently, sizing him up. “I prefer to go alone. But if you want to tag along, I can tell you where not to poke your nose unless you want a fight.”
Courage wasn’t sure he liked the attitude of this guy, but he shrugged and adjusted his jacket before following him. He waved to the others, telling him he won’t be long. Hope watched them leave before turning back to Rage. “We’d better go, before Jonesy raises some alarms that could make our mission difficult.”
“Lead the way” they said eagerly.
***
The train ran like clockwork across the island. 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Hope explained the Society like to keep order in their territory, especially with their businesses. The train was an integral part of their operation. Rage asked her why they don’t just destroy the train, derail their operations. She tells him they tried, but they can get more valuable Intel if they let it keep running. They waited under a bridge, the young woman counting the minutes to its expected arrival.
It was right on time. They looked up as the brick arch began to rumble and nodded to each other. They raced up the incline either side of the tracks, climbing up and reaching the top just as the train passed between them. They waited until the last possible second before leaping onto the train, catching the final carriage and hanging on.
The goons inside heard noises coming from outside. They looked at each other through their masks before pulling out their weapons. It was probably nothing, but they were trained not to take anything at face value. Five of them moved to the sliding doors and patrolled the train. Three approached the hatches in the roof and climbed up the ladders. One approached the door at the back and opened it, leaning out to check the tracks. Everything seemed fine.
Suddenly a hand reached around and grabbed the man by the tie, yanking him off the train where he tumbled onto the tracks hard. By the time he had recovered enough to shout at the train which left him behind, Hope had already swung through the door and entered to confront the remaining trio of goons. She tilted her glasses down and winked at them before whipping out her assault rifle and shooting those dead instantly.
She walked through the carriage once everyone was dead, reloading her weapon and listening to the thuds and booms above her. She paused to look up, wondering if she should dash up to help. Voice sparked over the radios of the fallen men indicating reinforcements coming, so she helped by running towards the sliding doors to head them off. She stepped out into the line of sight of one of the goons, who pointed his pistol at her while holding a ballistic shield. There was a boom from a shotgun which vaporised him instantly, the shield falling to the ground with a thud. She looked up and saw Rage leaping down from the roof and brushing themselves of. They shared a nod and walked forward.
Rage picked up the ballistic shield along the way, using it to cover their approach as they stormed down the train. Hope fell in behind them, firing over their shoulder at the goons rushing them aggressively. Rage pulled out a tactical pistol and fired back, ducking behind the Perspex as bullets bounced off their shield. They stopped and crouched to give Hope a position to fire from. She killed three more goons and raced forward. Rage sprinted ahead, barging into another pair of goons while she engaged another. They attacked with their fists and their guns, cutting them down one by one and advancing forward.
Reinforcements arrived in the form of jeeps, racing along the train carrying more goons. Rage eyed them and whipped the shield around, firing at them to keep them back until Hope had loaded a grenade launcher. Once she was ready they switched positions, Rage engaging the goons on the trains while she disabled the jeeps rolling alongside them. Within minutes they were dispatched and Rage kicked the last goon off the train.
They reached the front of the train and found the automated control room locked. Hope crouched by a machine by the door and pulled her hacking device into it. It started the download and installed spyware for further data gathering. Rage did another circuit of the train, making sure there were no more stragglers left. When they returned Hope was spray painting the sides of the train, marking her accomplishment and sending a message to the Society. “Won’t that warn them what we’re up to?” Rage asked.
“They’ll assume we attacked to steal the weapons they were carrying” she said confidently. “They’re never suspect we’re spying on them. They think the underground isn’t sophisticated enough for that.”
Rage holstered their weapons as they admired the young woman. “You certainly have a lot of hidden talents” they remarked.
Hope flashed them a grin. “More than you might think” she replied. She adjusted her glasses so she could admire Rage in return, her eyes raking over their powerful feminine body noting other masculine traits hidden under the dark closing and red armour. “You’ve got quite a few talents of your own. Perhaps we should compare them while we wait for the download to finish.”
Rage liked the sound of that as the attractive woman sauntered dangerously close to them, her own body tantalising them suggestively. They nodded to the machine, asking “how long will it take?”
“Long enough to live dangerously” she promised, shoving her new partner against the metal wall and leaning in under their hood. She was delighted to find a pair of lips ready to kiss her, and even more thrilled when she found the other weapons the fighter was very skilled with.
Rage had been hoping this would happen at some point. They could feel the spark just as Hope did. A mutual attraction. Nothing romantic, yet, just an interest in curiosity and lust. The broad shouldered brawler took hold of the rebel’s hips with their metal hands, pulling her closer so they could test her skills with her tongue. She proved a worthy adversary in their battle for dominance over the kiss, the duel ending in a draw.
What came next, Rage was determined to best her. They may only have a few moments and they were intent of making the most of it.
Hope gasped as Rage flung her against the wall, pinning her against it and slamming their mouth onto hers. She wrapped her arms around them and run her knee up their thigh, grinding her hips against their crotch. She could feel it in his groin. Despite the female body with broad arms and big breasts, she could feel the bulge in their groin indicating something else. Something that made her mouth water in anticipation.
Rage looked down as she reached for their pants and opened them up, reaching inside to fish out the penis growing hand from their risky playdate. They eyed the woman in surprise. They expected the sight of a woman with a dick to freak her out. She flashed them a smile, indicating quite the opposite. Their cock throbbed in arousal, grabbing her hips and reaching down to seek her underwear so they could yank them aside. She bit her bottom lip and eagerly opened her legs, accepting the fighter’s hard erection into her cunt.
Now that they knew where they stood, there was no stopping them. While the download ticked away next to them, Rage fucked Hope senseless hard and fast, eager to claim her pussy with their meaty cock while she encouraged him. They fucked standing up against the wall before changing positions, bending the rebel over the machine so she could check the hack while Rage pounded her from behind. She moaned and screamed and orgasmed many times until Rage was ready to upload his own spyware into her tight cunt. She took the cream-pie hungrily, licking her lips already anticipating more in their future.
Once the download was complete, the two of them got their clothes back on and prepared to jump from the train. Before they did, Hope took Rage’s hand, a saucy smile promising they would have many more missions together in the near future. Rage looked forward to it, leaping from the train alongside her.
***
Logic continued to work at the computers charting the causality events created by their recent time travel escapades. It was more widespread than he thought, but it seemed to have found a way to resolve itself by expanding beyond one reality. We created a multiverse he mused.
He altered the compass to function as a navigator to map these new branches, identifying many worlds they had been formed from the big bang. Some he recognised, others he’d never seen before. He wondered if the timeline they had believed to have altered existed out there somewhere. If it did, then everything that occurred in this one wouldn’t affect the greater space/time continuum like he feared. Or maybe he was just being optimistic.
He heard footsteps behind him and turned to find Empathy looking over his shoulder. “Wondering if you wanted something to eat” she said, holding out a plate with a slice of pizza. His stomach rumbled and he accepted it graciously. She sat down next to him and peered at the TV screens showing the different worlds he’d identified. “What are they?” she asked.
“Realities created by the big bang that brought us here” he explained. He’d learnt his lesson about keeping the others out of the loop. “Alternate dimensions with their own rules and variations. It’s possible we may have fallen into a new reality. An alternate timeline.”
“Is that why Jonesy didn’t recognise me?” she asked. Empathy had crossed paths with Jones multiple times, her particular connection to the Zero Point bringing them together more than once.
Logic shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe I’m wrong and history has been rewritten” he said. “It’s too soon to know the consequences of what we’ve done. I can’t even detect the Zero Point itself to determine if we’re in the same reality.”
“Does that mean we can’t go home?” she asked worried.
He looked at her and sighed. He was never very good at sugar coating things like this. “Until I can chart our position in this new multiverse, I wouldn’t even know where we are to begin getting us home.”
She nodded, looking at the screens. “At least we’re all together again” she said, looking on the bright side. “And who knows, maybe some of those other realities can help us.”
Logic admired her optimism. “More likely they’re remain blissfully unaware of our existence. We should focus on this world, not the others.” He switched off the screens and turned to the young girl. “Come on, let’s learn what we can about this Society and see if we can help the Underground” he suggested. Empathy nodded, leading the way as they returned to greet the others.
While Logic was beginning to open up to the others about his experiments, he still kept a few noteworthy things from them until he could determine what relevance they had. In this instance, he had made notes in his journal about some of the worlds he’d observed on the screens.
One world featured a league of race cars, an endless tournament were racers climbed the rankings in gravity defying vehicles. He recalled they passed through a world similar to this one before they landed in this reality, only his observations here noted two racers who looked familiar; a muscular man in a red hood driving a muscle car and a green cowboy in a sports car who was his main rival.
Another world seemed to be made of Lego, an island where survival means building shelters and creating a village of allies. He monitored this world for a while and made note of two members constructing a village to explore this world; one wearing purple who was almost afraid of everything, and another in blue seeking to chart the whole world.
The oddest reality he found was an endless music festival where bands would perform to crowds of millions. He paid little attention to this world, deeming it boring, almost overlooking the blonde haired singer in yellow who sang like an angel to her adoring fans.
He didn’t share these observations with the others yet, but he was formulating a hypothesis that these new realities may have variants of the five of them. And if he was right, then it begged the question what other variants are out there.
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