The wizard and the mayor, with his advisor Marley by his side, stood on top of a riser in the warehouse. They looked down onto the ground floor below them, waiting for the arrival of Freddy and his team. The wizard had cleared out the leftover debris and boxes, to give the assembled army a fighting chance. Free of distractions and potential hazards, they could focus on the battle that was to come. Standing on the ground below them were around one hundred masked assassins, seventy police police officers and the strongest of the mayor’s advisors. They were all ready for battle, though they wondered to themselves when it would start.
Leading the men at the back of the warehouse floor was the police commander, Commander Mann. He watched the front entrance like a hawk, waiting for Freddy and his cohorts to arrive. He knew this was risky and he knew it could be a trap, but he was determined to eradicate the threat of who he considered to be a “commie menace.” He was ready to lead his men into battle, to stop Freddy Benson once and for all.
Hiding in a corner was Peter McDonough, the loudmouth union leader. He was a tough talker, but when it came time to fight, he would retreat when the going got tough. For such big bravado, he was actually a giant pussy. His fellow officers noticed this and were disgusted with him in that moment. For being so supportive in rhetoric, he displayed such cowardice at a time when they needed him the most. If they were to make it out of here alive, many of the officers were ready to replace him. If he didn’t do his part and fight alongside them, then they planned to throw him to the curb.
On the top of the riser, the mayor fidgeted impatiently, stroking the Ruggeri ring as he did so. Marley stood next to him, internally freaking out over what was to come. The wizard had thought, at times, to just snatch the ring from the mayor and be on his merry way. However, he felt that this assembled army could wear out his enemies enough to make it easier to strike them down afterwards. He resisted his temptations to just rob and run, though those impulses were strong.
“Well?!” the mayor snapped at the wizard. “Where is he?”
“He’s coming” the wizard replied.
“That old man said they were here already!!! The commander and the rest of people on the ground think I’m a nut for gathering everybody here with no sign of the commie!!! They better—“
In that moment, the assembled army on the ground floor heard a noise from outside. The police officers, standing guard outside of the warehouse, commanded someone to freeze. Preparing themselves, the soldiers of the mayor's army drew out their guns and stood in position, ready to shoot at a moments notice.
“They’re here” the wizard commented nonchalantly.
A hush fell outside of the warehouse. The commander watched the door warily, while Peter continued to hide in a corner. The assembled army of assassins, police officers and the mayor’s advisors, stood firm, ready to shoot when commanded. They knew now that Freddy and his team were nearby. It would only be a matter of moments until the fighting began.
The mayor let out a chuckle, as he continued to stroke the ring on his finger.
“They may have thought they were trapping us here” the mayor thought to himself “but we’re the ones ready to trap them. If they want this ring, then they’re going to have to fight for it.”
A split second later, the entrance to the warehouse opened.
“Ready!” the commander yelled.
A mysterious figure entered the warehouse in that moment.
“Aim!”
The figure approached the assembled army; their faces, where visible, full of rage.
“Fire!”
The mayor’s assembled army shot at the mysterious figure, causing dents in the walls and spraying the warehouse full of bullets. They kept shooting, as a smoke began to fill the air. The sounds of gunfire echoed loudly, causing Peter McDonough to crouch deeper into his chest in a corner. The wizard took in the scene before him, thoroughly unimpressed so far.
“They wasted all that ammunition” he thought to himself. “Not a good showing so far.”
The mayor peered down when the gun fire stopped. A hazy smoke filled the air, as it sought to escape in small cracks in the windows and out the front entrance. It took a minute for the room to clear, before the assembled army could see out the front entrance again. When it cleared up enough to be visible, they found the figure was still standing.
“What?!?!” the mayor exclaimed from the top of the riser, as Sofya appeared to all those assembled.
The wizard let out a snort, as his daughter lowered her defense shield for a moment.
“Any more ammo boys?!” Sofya called out with a smirk.
The assembled army started to load up their guns, before the commander ordered them to stop. Peering at her with an angry look in his eyes, the commander suspected that she was impenetrable to bullets. They’d need to take her on in hand to hand combat.
“Charge her!!!!!” he ordered.
Screaming at the top of their lungs, the assembled army charged at Sofya. Letting out a smirk, she briefly placed her hands on the ground, causing the floor to shake. The mayor and Marley braced themselves on the riser, while the wizard smirked and stood perfectly still. As most of the troops fell down on top of each other, Sofya waved the rest of her team on to come inside. Running into the warehouse after her were Chris, Michael, Buddy and Tom.
“Get them!!!!!!” the mayor yelled, as he steadied himself.
Half of the assembled army got up and began to charge at the five of them. The assassins hid in the shadows, letting the grunts do their dirty work first.
“Oh shit!” Tom exclaimed, as he aimed his gun and fired at several of the charging officers.
The bullets pierced their heads, as they fell to the floor one by one. Tom continued to shoot aimlessly, while blocking the entrance. The rest of the team moved into position, ready to fight. Sofya used her magic to take out large sections of officers at once, lessening the burden for all of them them. Buddy, below her, bit at the legs of several advisors to the mayor. Michael crouched in a corner and shot at the legs of several officers who came into his direction. Chris, with his super powered gorilla arms and legs, leapt into battle and began to pummel some of his former colleagues.
The wizard, the mayor and Marley watched the scene below them from on top of the riser. The mayor cheered his assembled army on, as the wizard quietly took mental notes.
“This won’t be enough to stop them” he thought to himself, as he watched his daughter wipe out large groups of officers in one shot. “However, I don’t need them to defeat them. I just need them to wear out the five of them long enough to leave them weakened. I’ll finish them off, after they’ve all done their jobs. Their brave sacrifice tonight will not be in vain.”
Sofya continued to charge at large groups of officers, using various spells to get them off of her back. She turned some police officers into pigs, she sent out a few confusion spells, causing them to fight amongst each other and, when some of them got too close for her comfort, she simply shot them with her gun and killed them on the spot.
Chris did his best not to kill any of his former colleagues. He’d use his gorilla hands to knock their heads together, trip some them over with his gorilla legs and knock some of them out into concussions caused by his powerful fists. The officers may have been the angriest with him; seeing as he was a former police officer himself. They felt betrayed by Big Bear Chris D’Salvo, whose gorilla limbs that confused them immensely. Chris did his best not to kill anyone, but he choked out a few officers and snapped a few of their necks.
Buddy managed to avoid detection for the most part, as the assembled army focused on the threats right in front of them. His teeth got bloodier, as he bit into the necks and legs of several of the mayor’s officers and advisors. He tried not to kill them, but some of them were too chewed up to survive the injuries he gave them. Freddy hoped he wouldn’t get spotted in the crowd by the biggest threats yet to come; the assassins, the commander and the all powerful wizard.
Michael continued to duck into a corner, as he shot at the legs of the officers who approached him. His aim was to injure, not to kill. He knew he’d be entitled to kill them in self defense, but he didn’t want it on his conscious anyway. Still, he slipped his aim a few times and shot several fatal head shots. Those freaked him out, but he quickly composed himself. He just hoped it wouldn’t traumatize him too much afterwards.
Tom stood watch at the entrance for a time, before a bullet from an assassin nearly hit him. Screaming in fear, he ran away and charged into a gathering of officers. He knocked them to the ground and then shot them all in their chests; causing their deaths with his bullets. Screaming louder, he picked himself up and continued shooting aimlessly, while running over to where Michael was hiding.
Standing in the back of the warehouse floor, watching this scene take place before them, were the commander and Peter McDonough. The commander was disappointed in his soldiers for falling to put down the communist threat so easily. He knew the trained assassins were holding their fire, waiting to strike after the commie’s team was weakened. Peter, continuing to crawl in a ball, received a scornful glare from the commander as he did so.
“Pathetic!” the commander hissed, as Peter cried out in fear and shook.
After nearly all of the police officers and the mayor’s advisors were either knocked out, severely injured or dead, the assassins appeared from the shadows and began their assault. Sofya had a harder time fighting them off, as they were more adept at avoiding her magic. Some of them nearly landed hits on her, which freaked her out tremendously. She struggled to keep them at bay, as she used various magic spells to either poison, injure or kill them.
Chris also had a harder time fighting off the assassins, though his gorilla limbs helped make him defter and stronger than they were. They tried to throw darts in his direction, but he was easily able to dodge them. They tried to shoot at him, but he jumped out of the way with ease before the bullets could land. A few of them piled on top of him, which he struggled to break free from. However, before one of them could stab a dart into his neck, he flexed his limbs out and pushed them off of him.
“Man” Chris thought to himself, as he dusted off his hairy arms and then ran onto all fours, ready to charge into a group of assassins. “These gorilla limbs Sofya gave me sure are powerful. They’re making this battle that much easier for me. I know these aren’t going to be permanent enhancements, not that I’d want them to be, but if there was some way to activate them for combat like this, then they could really come in handy during a crucial fight.”
Michael continued to crouch in a corner, joined by Tom and Buddy, who later came behind him. An assassin nearly shot Buddy, so he ran over to his husband and Tom for protection. Michael and Tom continued to shoot at the oncoming assassins, with Sofya helping to make sure they didn’t get too close. Michael was freaking out when they started to run out of bullets.
“I hope we have enough ammo here” he thought to himself, as he stopped shooting for a moment to reload his gun again.
Tom took the darts, left from the assassin at Freddy and Michael’s house, and threw them at some of the oncoming assassins. He found that they landed with ease, causing the ones who were hit to choke to their deaths.
“Bullseye!” Tom exclaimed, before he screamed when more assassins came their way.
The battle raged on for several minutes, as the five members of the team held off the seemingly endless onslaught of assassins. On the other side of the warehouse floor, the commander dragged Peter up and choked him by the neck.
“Either you come with me right now!" the commander hissed. “Or I’ll kill you myself!”
Sobbing hysterically, Peter pulled out his gun and walked with the commander over to Freddy's team on the other end of the warehouse floor.
“They could use some assistance” the wizard noted to himself, as he shot them with his magic, to give the commander and Peter a boost.
The wizard empowered them with enhanced speed, agility and super strength.
“This will make it so they can’t get stopped so easily. They won’t win this battle, but they can significantly damage them in the process.”
As the commander and Peter felt a surge of energy charge through their veins, Sofya finished off the last of the assassins. Taking a series of jagged breaths, she saw the last two members of the mayor’s army approach her.
“Stupid fools” she thought to herself, as she sought to cast a spell in their direction.
Sofya gasped when the spell seemingly bounced off them, as if nothing had happened.
“Oh shit” she thought to herself.
“That’s not good” Freddy thought to himself, as Buddy panted nervously.
The wizard let out a sinister chuckle, as the commander and Peter approached Sofya with their guns drawn. Before they could shoot her, the wizard sent a message to their minds.
“Save her for me” he commanded the commander and Peter. “Take care of the others first.”
Sofya watched the commander and Peter strangely nod, seemingly unprovoked. They turned their guns to Michael, Buddy and Tom with the intention of shooting them.
“Oh shit!!!!!!!” Tom exclaimed. "We're gonna die!!!!!!"
“Look out, Freddy!!!!!” Michael exclaimed, as he covered Buddy up with his body.
Before the commander and Peter could fire their guns, they were knocked to the ground by Chris.
“Chris!” Michael exclaimed happily.
Buddy woofed in joy, as Chris somersaulted and landed back on his gorilla feet with ease. The commander and Peter moaned quietly, as they rubbed the back of their heads in pain.
“Not good” the wizard thought to himself, as he watched the remainder of the battle take place from the second floor riser.
The commander and Peter quickly composed themselves, as they got up and pointed their weapons at Chris.
“Well, well, well” the commander spat out ominously. “If it isn’t Big Bear Chris D’Salvo.”
“Quite the faggy outfit you got there!” Peter spat out.
Chris chuckled, as he looked down at his leotard.
“Fit for a super hero like me” Chris replied with a smile. “To take on bad guys like you.”
“Fit for a fucking faggot!” the commander sneered.
“How could you betray your brothers in blue, you fucking piece of shit?” Peter asked angrily.
“I’m not part of the thin blue line anymore, boys” Chris replied. “It’s a cult and I’m no cult member. I signed up to be a police officer, thinking I was helping to protect the community. What I found by working for you guys was that I was really working on behalf of ghouls like the mayor and the rich of society. I was paid to oppress the working class and rob the middle class of every nickel and dime that they had.
“I didn’t sign up to be a servant of the rich. That’s not what I want to do with my life. I believe in supporting people’s rights and civil liberties. I believe in helping people. I swore to protect people, not put them down. Maybe, because of how our society works, it’s possible that the police are the problem. We have too much money spent on us; on miserable, rotten people like you. Not enough money is spent on those who really need it; our struggling communities and the most vulnerable in society.
“That’s why I agreed to take this job and protect my boss, Freddy Benson. He’s a great man, a great husband, a great father and is going to be the next mayor of this town. Whether you like it or not, Commander Mann, Peter McDonough, this town is ripe for a change. I’m going to see Freddy through to election day, where my boss will declare victory against the scumbag you serve. If it’s the last thing I do, I will ensure his victory next week.”
“You’ll regret those words” the commander snarled, as he shot a bullet from his gun.
Chris jumped up into the air and rolled back onto the ground. He gave the commander a big smile in response.
“Won’t be that easy to shoot me, Mann. You’ll have to try harder than that.”
Running onto his hands and knees, the commander continued to try to shoot at Chris, but missed every shot.
"He's too fast" the commander grumbled to himself.
Chris saw Peter, who was trying to shoot at him, and went over to knock him down to the ground with ease. Jumping up onto his chest, he grabbed Peter tightly with his gorilla feet and looked over at the commander.
“Surrender now” Chris said. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I give the orders around here” the commander sneered, as he reloaded his gun and shot another bullet in Chris’ direction.
Chris jumped up into the air and landed on top of his former boss. Chris grabbed onto the commander tightly and stared into his pained eyes. The commander spat in his face, but Chris ignored it.
“I didn’t want to do this to you" Chris said with a hint of empathy in his voice "but you’ve left me no choice.”
Chris threw the commander’s gun away and then proceeded to beat him up with his gorilla hands. He pummeled his former boss with a stronger than human force, bruising up the commander badly. The commander's face turned black and blue, as he groaned in pain from the continuous onslaught. He tried, but failed, to push Chris off of him. In spite of his enhanced strength, given to him by the wizard, it was no match for the enhanced super strength of Chris' gorilla arms and fists. Before Chris could land a fatal blow, however, Peter snuck up behind him and knocked him in the back of the head with his gun.
“Chris!” Michael exclaimed.
Chris fell onto the floor, losing consciousness as he did so.
The commander dusted himself off and got back onto his feet. His face was bloodied and bruised. He spat out a few broken teeth onto the floor below him, along with some blood from his mouth. In anger, the commander and Peter pointed their guns at Chris' unconscious body lying on the floor.
“You fuckers!!!!!” Sofya yelled.
Sofya used her magic to move Chris out of their way, before their bullets could land on his body. She tossed him into Michael’s arms, who cried as he held him affectionately.
"Chris" Michael said quietly, as he let out tears, while stroking his husband's bodyguard. "Chris, wake up. Please, wake up."
Michael held Chris tightly, trying to rouse him awake through his tears. The commander and Peter aimed their guns in his direction, but were distracted by the feeling of the floor shaking beneath them. Taking a piece of the ground from below their feet, Sofya lifted it up into the air and hovered it over the commander and Peter. They screamed at the top of their lungs, as ran away as fast they could.
Unable to outrun the piece of the concrete floor that followed them across the warehouse from above their heads, they watched in horror, as it soon fell down and crushed them to death. Panting loudly when it was over, Sofya looked to where the the last remaining threats once stood. She watched through heavy breaths, as their blood spill out onto the warehouse floor, from where the fallen concrete had landed on top of them.
“The battle is over” she thought to herself, as she struggled to catch her breath.
Sofya looked up at second floor riser. She saw her father, the mayor and Marley staring down at her. The mayor looked mortified, Marley looked like a deer in the headlights and the wizard looked thoroughly impressed. Even if her father was angry at her and wondered how his magic didn't seem to help the commander or Peter much in their battle, he had to admit to himself that she exceeded his expectations. Considering she was previously unaware of her own powers, he was impressed with how strong she had gotten in the years since he last laid eyes on her. Sofya continued to struggle to breathe, as she looked at Michael cradling Chris in his arms.
“We’ve won this battle” she thought to herself “but we haven’t won the war.”
In response to this victory, the wizard…..