Shade: Unbound

Camouflaged on top of a building near their destination, Finn looked down. There didn’t seem to be any indication of criminal activity aside from those people lugging cardboard boxes into a pickup truck, and some guys keeping watch around them. “Are they saying anything?” he asked over the comms.

“Yeah, they’re talking about ‘getting the loot to a hall so they can make the next batch,’” Lyra said over the earpiece, this time focused on the task at hand. “No, uhm, actually, I think Hall is a name.”

“Has to be drugs,” Finn concluded. “We’re going.”

“Remember, you don’t even need to take all of them down, just grab the boxes and escape,” Gridlock reminded them.

“Couldn't they just call the police for this?” Lyra asked.

“It's not like everyone knows about this mission though. Our team was singled out to do this mission. The pharmacy probably didn't want to risk the police getting involved for some reason,” Gridlock explained.

“We don't have to work through official channels,” Finn added, “and they don’t have to pay us that many credits to get the job done, since we’re new.”

Lyra responded after a beat. “Oh, so is this mission a kind of test? Gambling on medicine sounds super dangerous.”

Gridlock laughed. “Could be, but it’s important that we do this right, ‘cause it’ll be good for our reputation if we succeed—leads to more targeted mission requests in the future.”

They discussed the plan more as they waited for the driver to leave, figuring it would be easier to extract the goods while they were on the road rather than within view of the people here.

The set time limit puzzled Finn the most, as these people didn’t seem to be in a rush to get anywhere, nor were they acting like criminals who had just pulled off a heist. Their calm demeanor made him wary.

At length, the truck drove off, and Finn and Lyra tailed it from atop nearby buildings. They shadowed the truck until it was a good distance away from its starting point. Then Finn positioned his grappling hooks to swing by the vehicle, already jumping off a roof as he did so.

Grabbing a box with each hand, he shot back up to the building while turned to look at him.

That had gone smoothly, better than expected, he thought as he landed. His feet touched down on the ledge of the building before pausing.

“The weight is off,” he said.

Lyra, who had been walking up to him, spoke. “The weight?”

Finn said nothing more, putting the boxes down and opening them, only to see stacks of rubber foam inside.

“A decoy,” Gridlock voiced his thoughts, no doubt paying rapt attention to the action cam transmitting video footage. “I still have eyes on the… wait.”

“What?”

“There’s a bigger truck driving the opposite direction right now. You should target that one, but assume they already know you’re coming.” Gridlock rattled off the fastest route to their target and they set off.

Wind rushed past as Finn sprinted, intensifying every time he was pulled along by his gadget. It was times like this where he resented his weak, slow body, but nothing could be done about that currently. He was already traveling faster than two days ago.

The same went for Lyra, who had apparently improved as well, no longer stumbling or making shaky jumps. Her run was steady too, though obviously slower than his own. Which wouldn’t be an issue, since she was going to be the one cutting their target off.

It took several minutes to get close. Finn saw the truck, this one bigger than the last, come into view. It didn’t conveniently have the cargo out in the open, so they would have to break through somehow.

He pushed for that extra bit of speed to get in range and shoot his grappling hooks at the container whilst jumping.

The hooks stopped dead in their tracks, twin cables coiling around them in midair like snakes in the grip of a hunter.

Time seemed to slow as Finn realized what was happening. He fell through the air while he tried to retract his hooks, and it worked. But it was too late. He would hit the asphalt before he could readjust and correct his course.

“Finn!” Gridlock shouted over the comms.

His arms flailed in a desperate attempt to clutch windows behind him with adhesive gloves, but he was already too far away. The ground rose up to meet him as he plummeted, promising a swift end.

Dread rose up from deep within his gut. He couldn’t die, not like this. He still had a duty to fulfill. He reached for his power with all he had, coloring himself completely invisible. It didn’t help. Of course it didn’t. Why would it? If he’d just had a better power, he would have been able to do more. He wouldn’t have died for nothing.

At the last second, however, a small shock wave erupted from the ground, cushioning his fall. He rolled to the side, disoriented but still alive. Scanning the surroundings, he saw the truck getting farther away.

“Are you okay?!” Lyra’s voice sounded in his ear.

It was then that he noticed her standing there a few blocks ahead. Had she always been able to use her power at that range?

“I’m alive,” Finn said, more to himself than anyone else. And not under his own power. If it hadn't been for his teammate, he wouldn't have survived that. He scowled.

It seemed he wouldn’t have time to do anything else, though, because someone was coming for him. Two someones, in fact.

One was a man in a black jacket with red markings lined across, wearing shoes and pants with the same colors. His face was covered by a skull mask on the bottom half and a hood over his head.

Beside him ran a guy dressed completely in leather and military camo print mask, leaving only an opening for the eyes.

The first man extended his hands, which turned into grainy rock and metal. He ground them together, creating hundreds of glowing sparks which converged in the air like so many fireflies. Then they swarmed towards Finn's position.

Finn activated his power again, making himself harder to see as he rolled away. But the second assailant made a v-shape with his fingers and pulled out a rock. He used his fingers to aim, pulling back as if firing a slingshot. The rock went flying hard enough to crack the pavement.

But it didn’t hit Finn. He had already evaded the second attack and sprinted away from the sparks. They hovered near a parked car, sliding through its tiny gaps. Nothing happened at first.

An explosion followed right after, knocking Finn off his feet and sending a wave of burning heat over him. Some shrapnel had hit him, but none of it managed to penetrate the fabric of his suit. Immediately, he got up and used the rising smoke as cover.

“You just ran into Ignis and Orion,” Gridlock said, a slight tremor in his voice. “Not affiliated with any major gangs, but still dangerous if you keep getting caught out like this.”

Calliope was the one to ask the most pressing question. “Do you know what their powers are?”

“Roughly. Ignis can cover himself in rock and metal and manipulate the sparks he creates. Orion can shoot projectiles and stop certain things from moving, but I’m not sure how.”

That would have to do. Finn skulked behind the cars, watching Orion keep his distance while Ignis shot more sparks at the fire, making it explode once more. Finn shielded his eyes with an arm before moving further.

Orion jumped to the side to dodge a shock wave from Lyra, who had landed behind him. She dodged the villain’s projectile as she fired another one of her own.

Finn used that opening to extend his grappling hook, catching Ignis by the leg and yanking him over. As the man tried to get his bearings, Finn extended his new staff and swung it down. But a layer of rock blocked it, sending the reinforced alloy of Finn’s blunt weapon skidding off.

He backed off quickly, not wanting to get targeted by more sparks. But Ignis simply sent sparks into another car behind him, blowing that one up as well. Finn knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to zone him in, prevent him from escaping by creating a ring of fire. That wasn’t going to happen. Now that Lyra had engaged Orion, he was free to use his grappling hooks to travel around again.

Part of him was still hesitant to use it despite his knowledge that his opponent couldn’t make him fall again, but he pushed through it. He only needed to get to the other side, not jump from deadly heights again.

With a swift flick of his wrist, Finn launched his grappling hook towards the opposite building. It latched onto a building wall on the other side of the street, leaving the other free to save him at a moment’s notice. He felt the tug as the retractable cable pulled him across the street. His body soared through the air, narrowly evading another volley of sparks from Ignis.

He stuck to the wall with a glove and a boot, assessing the situation. Lyra was getting pushed back, and Ignis was rushing in her direction now, sparks forming a ring around him.

Hopping down to the sidewalk, Finn detached one of his grappling hooks, and looked around for the rock Orion had shot earlier and found it. He tossed it, but Orion wasn’t blind to his surroundings. It halted instantly within arm’s reach of the guy.

A shock wave rocked the ground and caused Orion to lose his footing, but before Lyra could capitalize on it, Ignis closed in, with Finn following close behind. His body was camouflaged, but still somewhat noticeable at this speed. He shot a hook at Orion.

It stopped again, once more stopping in the air for a moment before being released and retracted. This time Finn saw a faint shimmer accompany the technique, and he had an idea.

Ignis fired a wave of sparks at Lyra, but Lyra just dispersed them with her power and backed up a few steps. Finn had escaped again, causing Orion to look around, searching for traces of his stealthy adversary.

Orion’s eyes darted left at another grappling hook coming from seemingly nowhere, and he used his power to halt its movement. But it didn’t retract this time.

Finn, who had been sneaking up from behind, hit Orion with his staff full force in the back. The villain stumbled.

Lyra had already been signaled, and she wasted no time. Leaping over Ignis, she threw a shock wave at Orion, who took it with a grunt.

That wasn’t all, though. They continued to pummel him, preventing him from regaining his concentration. Ignis intervened, but his ally was out of commission when the wave of sparks forced the two heroes to withdraw.

Finn ran back to the lamppost he had tied his grappling hook to and put it back on. They were now on each side of the remaining villain, leaving him no escape.

Given the numbers advantage, one might have thought Ignis would be comparatively easy to take down.

That was not the case.

More cars detonated as sparks set them off, and the rows of fire grew higher. The raging flames and smoke were starting to make it to breathe, but Finn pushed forward, attempting to get into a better position.

Calliope tried to blast Ignis, but the man’s rock-covered chest weathered the blow. He stepped forward and thrust a metal hand out to his side. The sparks flew back to their master, enveloping the hand. It began to glow white-hot.

Rearing back his superheated fist, he jabbed at the ground, sending a pulsing wave of heat over its surface. Lyra jumped to avoid it, but Ignis was prepared for that. Another deluge of sparks rose from the surrounding fire, splitting apart and converging on her from multiple angles at once.

Unable to dodge properly without a solid surface nearby, Lyra tried to deflect the sparks, but there were too many, threatening to burn her alive.

At the last second, she was yanked backward by the grappling hook, and Finn caught her as he swung back to a spot on the road with clearer air.

When they touched down, all the villain’s limbs were glowing with heated rock armor. He strode toward them, steps leaving a trail of scorch marks. His hands slammed together in a devastating clap, and a rush of heat surged forth.

Finn and Lyra dodged to the side, managing to find cover in time. But they knew there was more where that came from.

Because the fight wasn’t over yet.