The Outcasts: Rise Of Bonez

8 - Rebuilding With Scraps

Inside Hellford Laboratories, multiple heroes stood around facing Batsy and Black Star. Nearly everyone was there, besides the centipede man.

"Everyone, listen up!" Sapphire called out. "After some discussion, I've decided to take charge. This is because I'm one of the only Outcast members left with no major connection with anyone taken..."

She peered towards Chief Death.

"They took your sister and cousin, you see my point?"

Callum was conflicted but nodded anyway.

"So, rounding up our biggest brains, we're going to repair Ben's ship. Afterwards, a bunch of us will board and hunt them down while some of you stay to protect the city. Does that meet with all your approval?"

"That's insane..." Centa spoke as he allowed himself in the room, water still dripping off him. "How the fuck do you expect to find them in the entirety of space?"

Fast Maker and XLR8 quickly stepped forward.

"My brother and teammate were taken. I know you told the chief to sit out, but it's our ship. We're going, so we can find them easily!" Ben exclaimed.

"Fine, fine!" Centa sighed. "But who else will be going?"

"Me!" Lola stepped forward.

"So count me in..." Apollo nodded.

"They took Belle, I have to go!" Rift crossed his arms.

Sapphire nodded with a smile, looking around at the volunteers that stood before her.

"Ah shit, count me in..." Cal shrugged. "Wait till I get my hands on that bonemeal."

"Well, I guess that'll be everyone. Alright, Fast Maker, XLR8, Arachnean, I and some of the Hellford workers are going to head to the rocket. EVA and Rift boarded up the area, so it's up to us to get to work!"

The aforementioned group banded together and headed out, with a final wave and thumbs up from Sapphire. She turned to the rest of the heroes.

"Alright! I want you all to spread out throughout the city, keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity. We're going to need a lot of eyes out there if we're going to catch these guys, so I recommend you all pair up or team up with someone. I'll be staying here myself, talking with the authorities and trying to find out what the hell is going on. Okay, let's get started."

---

Chief Death and Apollo wandered through the streets as people began to emerge. It seemed people had calmed down now, and news crews started flooding the scene. Many citizens were shown to be wearing bandages as some carried makeshift weapons with them. A few kids also came along to watch, pointing and shouting at the reporters as they passed by.

Enzo tried not to stare too much, instead focussing on his task to get the taken heroes back home. He walked through the streets, keeping an eye out with Callum. News reporters spotted the two noticeable heroes, quickly taking pictures as they went by.

"So, how do you feel about staying behind with Doctor Spider and The iPhone Robot? Do you think you can handle being a hero now?" Enzo asked, looking over to Callum, making sure everything was okay.

"I've never been a hero, but I know where I stand. If I lose someone again, I don't think I could take it. My whole life has been about protecting those close to me, and once again, I feel like I've failed. I just hope that this time, I can change things for the better."

"You did all you could. Now it's up to us to make sure we get them back safely. That's why I chose to go. I have to try and save them, otherwise, it'll eat away at me forever. Plus, I feel like I and Lola have become good friends. I can't not back her up when she needs it the most."

Callum nodded.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Thank you, Apollo."

"Don't worry, mate. You've got my back." He smiled. "And I've got yours!"

Callum flashed him a warm smile, patting him on the shoulder.

"Thank you."

The duo continued to walk together as they passed a news reporter, who looked up at them with interest.

"Excuse me, gentlemen."

Callum and Enzo both stopped walking and turned towards the man. He snapped a picture of them, then ran off instantly.

"Some people just love drama..." Callum shook his head.

"It's weird seeing the city react to something like this..."

They turned the corner, coming upon a group of people gathered around a fire. There were around ten of them, all wearing bandages and carrying makeshift weapons. Enzo approached slowly, glancing around carefully. One of the men, a bulky one with a massive mace in his hand, would suddenly spot him approaching and pointed at him.

"No need for weapons, everything has been dealt with and taken care of. No more violence. Please, go back to your homes. And stay safe." Chief Death said, giving a gentle smile.

The mob of people shuffled backwards, and he walked off, leaving the two heroes alone.

"What a strange bunch..." Enzo frowned, looking around. "Why were they wearing black and white chequered clothing? Is that some sort of gang?"

"Who knows? Maybe they just dressed up for the occasion. At least they're not violent."

They moved past the area, continuing their journey.

---

Arriving at the crashed De Vil Rocket, the repair crew quickly got to work.

XLR8 was the one to study the destruction, shaking his head as he studied the damage. He had taken a look inside the rocket and saw that the front window was completely destroyed, but the ship as a whole was still intact. Looking at the external features, he could see where the engines had been ripped apart and that the hull had been weakened. He looked up to where the engines should be and noticed that they appeared as if they were about to fall off.

"It seems like the engines have been torn apart." He said, sighing. "If we could salvage some parts from somewhere then we should be able to patch the back together. Also the cockpit window and some other small damages that are visible need to be repaired. I'll work and getting BECKI back into the system meanwhile rebooting the outer shields and repairing the floor panels."

Batsy and Arachnean got to work on the engines, grabbing scrap metal that was scattered around the crash site to repair what they could. With their high intelligence, they were able to find the correct parts pretty easily.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group worked on the damaged floor panels and windows, using donated pieces from Dellblade Industries. The repairs took longer than expected due to the lack of time and materials available, but everyone was determined to fix the ship as soon as possible.

Fast Maker used his super speed and his knowledge of building machines to his advantage, working hard to repair the various parts. All that could be seen was a blur of orange electricity flying around the wreckage as he fixed what he could.

At the same time, Professor John Smith and some of the odd Hellford workers carried out a search of the surrounding buildings, looking for any useful items or supplies. They found a half-demolished AIM warehouse that had a few crates full of food and water, which was gladly accepted. The boxes were transported back to the ship, along with some extra items they deemed could be of use.

With everyone working hard, the repairs were coming along nicely. By the end of the day, XLR8 had managed to reboot the systems before getting BECKI back online, while the others finished fixing the majority of the damage.

"We've done well today." Batsy cheered as everyone gathered together. "In one day, we've managed to fix most of the damage caused to the De Vil Rocket! It's going to take another few hours tomorrow to finish everything, but by the start of the afternoon, we will be ready to set sail into the darkness of space!"

Everyone cheered and applauded, with many people clapping loudly.

"Let's get some sleep tonight." Professor Smith yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for us all."