Sigma/Star

Chapter 62: Porter Unbound

There was another rumble of thunder that vibrated through the cold, crisp air of the north. Porter felt the sound reverberate through his body, sending tingles throughout his muscles. Everything around him seemed so...slow. He watched bullets lazily pass by him like a summer fly, as if they had nowhere to go and nothing better to do then flat through the air. As one projectile came increasingly closer, its trajectory on a direct path to the chest of the white Storm, Porter watched a spark flash and electromagnetic waves repelled the bullet, pushing it away from the Goliath and bending its course into something harmless.

And the pool was still.

"Come on loser, we got to get out of here," Chase shouted, turning his back on his teammate.

"No," Riya said, stopping everyone. "We won't have to go anywhere." She had a feeling, some sort of connection with Porter she was picking up on, one that gave her great confidence. There was something surrounding the young man and his older Goliath, an aura he had never had before, one that she hadn't seen since Brigadier General Cross had walked on the battlefield.

The White Storm disappeared in the blink of an eye. A low hum picked up, echoing between the mountains. Then Porter was in the middle of four Artisan Goliaths, hovering in the air in front of two of them, each of his blades thrust between their head units. Blue electricity crackled and shot off the now inoperable machines. Before the other two enemies could advance, slash marks burst across their front, deep gashes that rent their metal frames and sent them stumbling backwards. Suddenly, plumes of snow shot up from the ground, blazing a trail between where Porter had started and finished....seconds after it had happened.

The young pilot didn't wait for any questions. He wasn't surprised at his own capacities. He didn't feel much of anything for the moment. Just the focus inside of him. He was in front of a new Artisan now, knocking aside its gun as it tried to swat him away then slicing off its other arm. With a swift uppercut, the fight was finished, and Porter disappeared again, the shooting snow catching up to him only once he had vanished again.

An Artisan warmachine on the opposite side from where Porter had once been suddenly found itself face to face with the White Storm, who stood calmly and still in front of the opponent. The pilot, screaming obscenities, scrambled to level its gun at the foe, raising it up and squeezing the trigger. But before the action could be completed, a line became carved in the metal of the Goliath, from its left shoulder to its right hip. The top half of the battlesuit slid down a little before falling off the bottom, having been sheared in half already.

The snow trail followed on cue, flying from one side of the mountain to the other until it finally caught up with Porter. As the snow settled, the Goliaths that had been caught in the path found themselves crippled and covered in slashes, often missing limbs or chunks of armour. Porter slowly surveyed the scene, noting the few remaining targets in the area, as well as the general who stood down lower, watching him with amusement.

Two Artisans sprung up from beneath a lower portion of the mountain, having hidden themselves on a cliff. The twin assailants leapt for the Enian Goliath, trying to tackle it so that it could be restrained.

"Look out Porter!" Nami cried as she watched. Everyone in the CRU had been dumbfounded observing Porter in action and hadn't moved a muscle, aside from their eyes.

Porter's head moved languidly to focus on the attackers, but he did not make any other motions. The Artisans crashed down atop the teen...and passed right through his fading form. "An...an afterimage?" Ardwen mumbled in shock. He turned to look at Raul for confirmation, trusting the ninja to be an expert on such an advanced technique. The older boy simply shrugged and nodded his head, secretly hiding how impressed he was.