Fortnite: Island

Chapter 19: The Battle of the Complex

Drift picked up the mask. It felt good, like the mask was influencing his emotions. Drift felt a feeling of longing but didn't know why. It could be to do with his previous loop, he decided. But he'd never know, not really. Or maybe he could if he put it on.
So he did just that. And his question wasn't answered, but he was launched into a sudden feeling of ecstasy. He had seen the visions, but he hadn't felt them, like they were playing a film on a very detailed screen. Now he felt them. He felt like they were his memories.
"Wow. That felt great." Drift smiled. He removed the Karve facemask, the fox mask and the coat. He didn't need the Karve stuff anymore.
"I bet it did, now come on, let's go." Aura prompted, heading to the door.
"What's the rush?" Mothy asked.
"Yeah, can't I just enjoy this moment?" Drift added.
"There are probably more agents being sent after us right now! We should really leave." Aura hissed.
"...I guess you're right."
"Yes, Drift, she is right."
Now that wasn't one of them. Drift saw her, stood there at gunpoint. He'd had a feeling it'd be her who Aura was talking about. Who killed him and Lynx. It matched the descriptions she gave perfectly. But he really, really didn't want to believe it. Now, however, there was no use denying it.
Her hair was magenta and tied into a ponytail. Her skin was tanned with the gorgeous, but now cold, brown eyes who he had come to associate her with. Her nose was petite and pretty. However, unlike before, her mouth was stretched into an evil grin.
Brite Bomber.
"You're an agent?" Drift asked, hoping for any sort of opposition.
"Yes. Didn't Aura tell you? She remembers me very well, I'm sure." Brite looked to Aura.
"Did you?" Drift added.
"I couldn't bare to tell you. I know how she lied to you." Aura sighed, looking guilty.
"Was any of it real?" Drift croaked.
"What do you mean?" Brite asked.
"Did you ever really love me?"
Brite's face twisted into one of intense thinking, and then she turned back with a twisted smile, "I did love how sad you looked in the footage of my 'death'."
"YOU FREAK!" Aura shrieked, charging at Brite.
Aura grabbed Brite's waist and went to tackle her to the ground, but she held her ground and Drift could see Aura's feet slipping. Once Aura had lost enough ground, Brite thrusted her to the ground.
Mothy came next. He fired his MK-Seven a few times in Brite's direction, but all the bullets missed. Mothy screamed as she pushed him over too. His head made a sickening banging noise as it hit the metal floor. He was out cold.
Brite truned to Drift, "Look what I did to your friends, Drift. Would you like that to happen to you, too?"
"Just kill me, Brite. I can't be bothered any more." Drift sobbed.
Aura grunted on the ground.
"Well, now you've ruined it. At least pretend to hate it." Brite rolled her eyes.
Aura suddenly leapt up and clasped her hands around Brite's neck. Brite gasped but fought back and Aura was on the floor once again before much time had passed.
"Did you enjoy being the best agent for a bit, Aura?" Brite sneered, "I bet that was a great time."
Drift stared at the ground indifferently.
"Aren't you going to react, Drift?" Brite asked, annoyed.
Still no reply. Drift was thinking, though.
"I might just kill this one then." Brite sighed, putting her foot on Mothy's head.
Mothy's eyes suddenly shot open and he shrieked. Brite looked offended by how much he was struggling as she began to crush Mothy's skull under her boot. Drift was done deciding. He was going to use the mask.
Drift put the mask back on his head, and unlike last time, he felt a pulse of power surge through him. The remainders of his Karve clothes were gone; he was Drift once again, now with an added bonus of a black and gold overcoat. Drift could've sworn there was lightning coming out of his eyes. And was the world falling, or was he rising up?
"No!" Brite barked, removing her weight from Mothy as he blacked out again.
She stole Mothy's MK-Seven and started to spray Drift's levitating body. He dodged, though, and sent back lightning pulses that blasted Brite backwards. She scowled, and fired more. This time, a bullet hit his arm and he fell a bit in shock.
Drift could see Aura getting up again out of the corner of his eye. He felt a spark of fear, but he dismissed it. He could protect her now. None of them would get hurt as long as he had something to say about it.
"You lot are making me mad now." Brite laughed through gritted teeth.
"That's the point." Drift smirked. His voice was distant and otherworldly.
"You were supposed to be an easy job, for god sake!" Brite screamed frustratedly, "Well, I'm not going to let you leave, so you can suffer until you starve."
"Oh no." Drift sniggered, not believing her
"I have a better idea. How about you and Aura have a chat about whether you want to proceed with that IO artifact in hand. I'll wait."
Drift hovered on down to an exhausted Aura, taking advantage of the breather. Brite stood in the corner, filing her nails cockily. She was a nasty piece of work. Aura didn't seem in the mood to talk, but he needed to talk tactics.
"I think she broke a few of my ribs." Aura spat.
Drift scowled at Brite, "I can't believe I use to love her."
"All IO agents are manipulative like that, don't feel bad."
"I don't feel like that, I'm just... disappointed, I guess."
"I would be too."
Drift and Aura stared at each other, unsure about what to do. Brite looked at the other things on the walls, examining them like they were more interesting than her competition.
"Are we almost finished?" she shouted.
"No." Aura grumbled.
"I don't know, I really don't. There's no way out."
Aura looked at Brite again, "She's still turned around."
"I know."
"Wake up Mothy, but be quiet."
"Do you have a plan?"
"Of course I do." Aura smiled, "Just get him."
As Drift turned to get Mothy, Aura said, "No, no I think we should leave, Drift."
A distraction. Drift didn't give Aura enough credit for how smart she was. As he went to shake Mothy awake, he made sure that Brite hadn't turned around. Aura 'apologised' to Drift for abandoning the mission. Again, good. Mothy woke up and went to say something but Drift shushed him as Aura would've wanted him to do.
"Go." Aura mouthed before adding, "Drift, what's wrong with you? It's over! Brite's already won!"
"Drift?" Mothy whispered.
"Go with it." Drift hissed back.
As Aura looked him in the eye, she looked sad, but Drift dismissed it. It was probably just a trick of the light or something. They were getting away with the mask, and Aura would be slightly delayed but it'd be fine.
The pair tip-toed down the corridor.

***

Aura sighed as they went. She hoped that they'd be ok.
"They left." Aura said to Brite.
Brite scoffed, "I know. I could hear them both leaving."
Aura smiled.
"Stop smiling, it's annoying me."
"You're not going to ask why I'm still here?"
"To mock me, or distract me, I don't care. This'll be quick." Brite cracked her knuckles.
Aura smirked, "You're not even going to ask about the bombs?"
Brite turned around sharply in fright, "WAIT, WHAT BOMBS? Where?!"
Aura leapt at Brite and locked her in a rough embrace. Brite tried to fight her way out, but she wasn't strong enough. She had probably noticed the clinger that was stuck to her neck by now.
"This one." Aura giggled.
Aura was happy. Happy that she'd eventually understood the Seven. Happy that she'd shown up Fennix. Happy that she'd showed Brite and IO not to mess with her. Happy that she'd met Drift, who taught her to be a better person.
Brite shrieked.

***

Mothy was still a bit woozy after waking up, it seemed. He stumbled once it twice as Drift tried to help him along. Drift hadn't assumed that Mothy would be the easiest person to drag, anyway, but this was getting ridiculous now.
"What's happening?" Mothy mumbled.
"Aura is stalling her, she'll be here in a minute." Drift replied, his mind occupied with remembering how to get back to the science lab.
"Something feels wrong." Mothy groaned.
Drift snapped, "If you're implying that Aura is siding with Brite, I am not letting you think-"
There was a large, loud explosion that shook the ground. The area where they had just been was engulfed in flames. As Drift looked at the manufactured inferno, he knew that Aura had lied to him. She was dead. Brite was dead. Drift would be forever thankful to Aura, but he didn't want to be.
He wished that she'd said.
Mothy gulped, "Is she..?"
"We had a mission. It's completed. Let's go." Drift tried to stay strong.

***

What?
No.
How could that be?
Skye awoke in a glass container, her memories fully intact.

To be continued...