The Problems of Another World

Killing is Wrong

They ate veggies, after Otto came to, he began to eat as well. He and Hannah were even instructed to ingest a bottle of curative, it tased like berries, regaining their strength. When they were ready ZYG informed them that after an extensive scan he found only twenty-four invaders left.

Renner let out a sigh. "Let's get to work."

"The first is hiding with three others. In the attic of an abandoned home." ZYG explained, then sent them down.

The home was pretty big, it was three stories tall the attic above that. The four were standing in front of the house the building towering above them. "I'll take point Izzi has the rear." Renner opened the door and walked in assault rifle at the ready. Otto was next followed by Hannah then Izzi holding her sister's living claymore. They walked up to the second floor, followed the hallway until it turned back on itself going upstairs the went to the third floor. Above them was the entrance to the Attic where a quiet shuffle was occasionally heard. Renner motioned Otto to place the portal at the top of the ladder, they all went behind the attic entrance and pulled it's ladder down. Otto snuck up the ladder just enough to replace the trapdoor with the portal. Some scrabbling was heard above them. "Go home, through the portal and live." Renner shouted.

"Three people ran through the portal." ZYG informed them.

"We know there's someone left go through the portal and live." Renner repeated. There was gunfire above them. Hannah covered the ceiling in her liquid metal to prevent the bullets from coming through, it worked. When she did it shattered the ladder that was leading up to the attic. They heard him shout in pain. Hannah made herself levitate through a hole she made in her liquid metal. The man had collapsed from a gunshot wound. His leg was bleeding, the shot had ricocheted hitting his femoral artery. Hannah used a bit of her metal to apply pressure, plugging the wound, as her sibling climbed up her makeshift ladder. He came too screaming in pain as Izzi had pulled the gun from his hand. The wound stopped bleeding from the metal being on it. When she took the metal back there was a healthy scar over the wound. She had used some of the curative ZYG had given them. The boy's grabbed the man and 'helped' him through the portal.

"Only 20 more." Hannah said trying to be encouraging. ZYG pulled them back up and they ate some veggies and rehydrated. He found eight of them wandering around a mall that had been abandoned in the chaos. They were wandering around, looting. There were two floors to the mall, it had an L shape to it, they had settled they would need split up each taking an entrance. When the do, to push them to the fountain in the center where Otto will portal them out.

ZYG sent each of them to their own entrance. Renner had the longest entry point, the main entrance at the top of the L. He had the bag with him he reached in and pulled out a gold plated shotgun, with a box of ammo to match. He loaded the gun as he started walking toward the fountain there were two people in front of him. When they saw him, Renner shouted "don't move" they obeyed. One of the people was carrying around a machete. "Drop the weapons" they did what he asked. When he got close enough to see them, he realized they were kids, only fourteen or fifteen. "Cool gun." one of them commented, putting a smile on his face. He instructed them to keep walking down the Hallway. A man on the second floor leapt onto a nearby banner and slid down it landing on top of Renner and began wrestling the gun away from him.

******

Izzi was entering through the entrance that was on the long side of the L. She saw three people talking around a trash can, they were opening things that they had collected. She had a knife and a claymore sword from Hannah both with sheathes. Placing the sword on its holster on her back, Izzi took out the dagger. She had the blade around a man's neck before anyone saw her, "go toward the fountain" she said menacingly. The two of them walked toward the fountain. She stayed there until she heard a crash from the other direction. "Let's go" she said pressing the man, she was holding hostage, to walk toward the noise. When they got there, she saw the two children and told them to walk toward the fountain. They took off, away from a tussle. She threw the dagger at the man who was on Renner. As if responding to her thought it soared through the air then directly into the man's foot burying itself into the floor for good measure. The man reacted grabbing at the hilt pulling it out tossing it aside. Renner stood over him pointing the gun at him. Izzi let go of her hostage and the pair pushed the interlopers toward the fountain. A crash and Gunfire erupted from the other side of the mall.

*******

Hannah was at the short end of the L. She walked in a nearby poster displaying women in underwear. There was a noise in a nearby Kiosk. Hannah sent a large polished orb over the kiosk. And saw the reflection of two people crouched behind the counter. Otto creeped into view, his door not being very far away, he was doing his best at sneaking. But Hannah saw movement on the top floor it was a person and he was aiming down his sights at Otto. The orb above the kiosk flew directly toward the man destroying the floor beneath him, his gun fired as he fell. Otto was hit in the chaos the people behind the counter were lighting something on fire. A Molotov cocktail flew in the direction of Otto. At Hannah's command the Orb flew over to it, surrounding it, absorbing the explosion. Hannah was standing above them, metal surrounding their hands. She coughed up some blood because of the explosion. With fury that even Renner would be afraid to feel. She lifted them up by the improvised handcuffs and held them by the fountain.

"I'm okay Hannah." Otto said. He was hit in his side, but it just felt like a graze, so he stood up and introduced himself to the man that shot him. Otto pointed the assault rifle at him and slid the other weapon behind them. Hannah slipped one of her metal balls carrying the curative liquid, over Otto's wound. He winced, he straightened up then felt better. Hannah picked up the other gun. Metal slipping over the hands of the other men. Otto walked over to the fountain and opened a portal to the other world. He had them walk through one at a time. Otto counted each one till they got to eight then closed the portal. Then Otto asked ZYG if all was well from up there. He replied by bringing them up. They refueled and got ready for the next encounter. Everyone was haggard but they pushed on anyway.

ZYG brought up the next screen. Six red dots in a circle on an open field.

"What are they doing?" Hannah asked inquisitively.

"It would seem that they have some commune with nature. InfraZYG must come to dominate nature before he can obtain divinity. If he has people on either side trying to get in touch with nature then she may just listen." ZYG finished

"So we need to disrupt it on both sides?" Renner guessed. ZYG nodded. "Send us just inside the is forest nearby." golden shotgun resting on his shoulder

They were surrounded by trees. Otto opened a portal to the other side "who's going?" He asked

"I'll go" Izzi said holding her box.

"ZYG said InfraZYG is gone remember. That button may not work on the other side, besides you can always winch me." Hannah said making a small copy of Trewn. "I can take care of it alone if you can get them back into their world. Just open the portal and I'll start" They agreed and she stepped through.

"I hope she'll be okay "Izzi said ominously, as Hannah disappeared beyond the portal.

Hannah was alone on the other side. Tired from all the work she became irrationally angry. "Why couldn't life just be normal for me." Something made her feel like she wanted to lose control.

Before Otto could open the portal, she was on a hovering platform, small balls of metal poised above the six men. She sent metal over their heads. When the portal opened, she roared an unholy roar and pounded her fists on the metal beneath her. The metal balls shot down into their heads, killing them instantly. Anger subsiding as she came through the portal.

The boy's had their guns Izzi stayed close to the edge of the forest they had the men surrounded. They advanced on the six people. The six stood in a circle wearing robes and chanting. Izzi Otto and Renner came running in, from all around, shouting for them to get closer together. The people complied, Otto opened the portal. He saw the on the other side the other men, all on the ground. What he chose not to see the blood pooling around them. Hannah walked through before they pushed the people back through the portal and closed it behind them. They all hugged Hannah happy to see her again. Then ZYG brought them up. When Hannah got up there, she vomited, and collapsed.