MOTORCYCLES.

1774, NOVEMBER 27th, SUNDAY 11:22 pm.

Noche went full throttle and tears well in Jack's eyes as their motorcycle went ahead of everyone else. His shaking arms tightened around Noche's torso as they reached speeds that would kill him with ease.

"Gee golly gosh — Jack's off!" Shaylin giggled.

"I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die," Jack's eyes opened wide. "What the — when did you get so muscular!"

Noche's eyes widened and the bike swerved. She glanced down at the arms wrapped tight around her torso — she blushed.

"Can we slow down! Just a bit!" Jack cried.

Noche grinned and accelerated.

She was the first to get towards the debris and scrap that filled the room. The center of the massive, one-hundred mile room was a dumpster site. Like the destroyed remains of a post-apocalypse city. Noche weaved and swerved around collapsed steel beams, broken pillars, piles of bricks, and abandoned factory lines.

A sheet of metal laid on some rubble like a ramp. Noche grinned, pulled the throttle, and accelerated. Tears streamed down Jack's screaming face as Noche's motorcycle rose up and she popped a wheelie — launching them both off the ramp.

She laughed the entire way; Alice's dumbfounded gaze followed the chaotic blonde.

"Mango... Stay safe," Alice yelled.

"You too Apple!"

Boots ran next to Noche.

"Have you lost your mind!"

"DUDE! This is fucking awesome!" Noche shouted. "I LOVE this thing!"

"Somebody help me!" Jack shouted.

"Oh don't be such a baby — let's find another ramp!"

"No no no no NOOOOOOO!"

"Wait! Watch out ahead!" Boots shouted.

Noche's gaze turned towards a lanky DeathTech soldier. She grinned, prismatic energy filled her hand, a wooden oar appeared.

"What the hell is happeni-THWACK!"

The soldier tumbled on the ground as broken pieces of oar bounced next to him. Noche laughed her ass off.

"Get me off this thiiiing!" Jack screamed.

Noche's laughter stopped. "Wait — did that soldier talk!"

"He's probably from the previous generation!" Boots said. "Before Edward acquired Grim gel."

"He seems familiar..." Noche paused. "Ed... Eddy... Eh, whatever!"

Her head raised to the ceiling where artificial, white light flooded from above. With it miles away from the floor the room gave the feeling of being under open sky.

"Man... So big. So trippy," Noche mumbled.

"How much longer!" Jack shouted.

"Oh eight minutes or so," she grinned.

"How do you know that!"

"I have an uncanny sense of time and space," she said. "Seriously, check your phone. It's eleven twenty-four right now."

"What's a phone!"

Noche's mouth opened, but no words came out. She shook her head and stared forward.

"Gee golly gosh, this place is a treasure trove!" Shaylin said. "Look at all the scrap metal and electrical components laying around! This place must've had hundreds of factories!"

"I remember when I worked here as a kid!" Jack shouted. "I can't believe it's all gone... Everything's changed!"

"I'm surprised there's plants down here bruh!" Mary said.

"The light's fake, but it makes em grow!"

"S-So! Once we reach the elevator! Will it open before we get into trouble!" Tak asked.

"Hard to say! But the sooner we open it, the better!" Boots said. "If only we could open it now!"

"Alice can hit it from here!" Mary shouted.

"Bullshit!" Boots yelled. "The planet curves at three miles out — there's no way she could snipe a button, the size of a bottle cap, from at least eighty miles away!"

Mary grinned. "Show him bruh!"

Alice took out her Fuck You sniper rifle, closed her right eye, and aimed. Her bike was steady and it moved in a straight line as she focused. Prismatic energy shimmered far ahead of the group — an array of pocket watches were created at intervals of one mile out. A total of eighty watches began falling from the sky.

Bang.

The bullet ricocheted from watch to watch — glass exploded like fireworks as the metal slug curved with the planet. Not a smooth curve, but a straight line that turned into a sharp obtuse angle with each timepiece hit. It slammed into the button a few heartbeats after being fired.

A spinning red light activated above the elevator; Boot's mouth hung open. He turned to Alice. She smirked, made a finger gun in his direction, pretended to fire, and used create to make smoke which she blew away.

"That's my girl!" Mary shouted. "Fucking told you bruh!"

"Who the fuck did I team up with?" Boots muttered. "It's impossible — how?"

Noche hit another ramp and both riders screamed as they launched into the air; each for different reasons.

"Relax, at least you have goggles!" Noche shouted. "Keeps the wind out of your eyes."

"I guess you could call them his sun-glasses," Shaylin smirked.

"That doesn't even make sense!"

Vida's bike swerved — she crashed into Tak. Neither bike fell over, but Tak drifted to the side where a metal pole ripped his right arm off. The immortal stared at his regenerating limb as ribbons of muscle wrapped around manifesting bone.

"W-Why did we give Vida a bike!" He shouted.

The blind girl laughed — it was cut short.

"Enemies incoming," Vida grinned.

A split-second after her warning, three DeathTech soldiers came racing out from paths hidden in the debris.

"Let's GO!" Noche yelled.

A soldier fired a fish-wire grappling hook at Shaylin. It hooked onto her cybernetic left arm. She pressed a button and the arm detached — it flew back to the soldier and exploded. Prismatic energy fill the empty gap and a new arm was created.

"Wire you doing this to us!" The ginger chuckled.

"Shaylin stop!" Noche yelled.

"Can you not!" Mary shouted.

"No, but I can knit!" Shaylin laughed.

Noche, Mary, and Boots all groaned.

The DeathTech soldier burst forth from the smoke. Its body regenerating from the explosion.

"Oh dear — I know they're immortal, but I figured that'd at least slow him down," Shaylin created some metal acorns. "Let's try this... Ballistic acorn!"

She chucked the nuts behind her and a handful of steel trees appear. The solder dodged two and crashed into the third. It catapulted into the air and crashed into a big, red stain on a concrete wall. The crimson goo began regenerating, but not before the party drove past it.

"We better not get dragged into a fight with Edward's immortal monsters!" Boots shouted. "There's no time to fight mindless drones!"

"Yeah, yeah," Noche said. "I can kill em!"

"Like you did with the Anglerfish soldier?" Vida laughed.

"T-That... That was different," Noche paled and her voice went meek. "Fuck you..."

Jack lifted his head from Noche's back and stared at her timid expression. His eyes widened when something caught onto his back — he was yanked off her bike.

Noche grit her teeth, backflipped off the bike, and summoned her Omni-Oar. She swung and the blade extended into a fifty-foot-long razor. It sliced the grappling hook attached to Jack's coat. Prismatic energy surrounded him and telekinesis threw the terrified man back into Noche's arms.

"AHHHHHBABLEFERGAGHH!"

"Calm down ya baby!"

Noche shrank her sword, slammed it into the ground, and used instant riptide to race towards her bike

"Faster, FASTER!"

The speed of the blade's extension multiplied — Noche rocketed towards her motorcycle. She threw jack onto the seat, front flipped over him, and landed. She grabbed the handles as the bike began to swerve; it came back under her control.

Another grappling hook flew over Noche's head.

"You mother fucker!" She raised her left hand. "Dead Light Cannon — Wind variant!"

A ball of compressed air was shot out of her palm and towards the soldier. The implosion yanked the soldier off the motorcycle; the bike crashed into a pillar and exploded.

"YEAH! Fuck you!"

The third soldier hit a ramp and its shadow loomed above Noche. She snapped her bike to the side as the other motorcycle fell in the spot she was at a second ago. Noche threw her Omni-Oar like a shuriken at the soldier, it ducked, she missed.

She grit her teeth and willed her blade to extend — it did. Still spinning like a shuriken, the blade enlarged into a massive, spinning blender of death. The soldier and its bike were cut in half. Noche herself was almost cut too.

"Fuck... I gotta remember that move," Noche muttered. "Should name it too."

Behind her, Jack was sobbing.

A fourth soldier appeared from around a bend — Noche summoned her sword, threw it forward, and grinned. The blade enlarged into its skyscraper-sized. The DeathTech soldier was crushed and Noche drove up her blade like a ramp.

As she neared the top she teleported the weapon back to her hand in short sword form. Noche and Jack were sent rocketing through the air once again. There was a loud, glass-shattering screech when Noche landed. Her eyes widened and she checked the motorcycle.

"Not my baby — not my new baby," she muttered.

Another ear-piercing shriek came from behind Noche.

"That's not my hog..."

She turned to a plume of darkness. A meteor of black, where wind jostled against feathers like waves on an ocean of ink. Three eyes snapped open above an ebony beak – it was a titan-sized Crow.

Noche's eyes widened. This creature was much larger than the skyscraper-sized centipede she killed earlier. If anything, that bug was what this avian would feed its kids. As the flying warship made its way towards the blonde, and all three of its eyes locked onto her, Noche had one response.

"OH FUCK!"

The crow screeched – sending out a shockwave which scattered debris heaps. Each wingbeat boomed like thunder and shook the floor, leaving a trail of destruction in wake of its flight.

"Fudge my pie!" Shaylin shouted.

"What!"

"Focus!" Boots yelled.

The titan bird made a sharp dive up – it shrank and shrank until it was a black spot below the massive ceiling. A hail of black descended upon the group. Feathers — a barrage of razor-sharp feathers cascaded onto everyone. Each one the size of a bullet train with its tip sharpened to the point of a syringe.

"Jack! Take the wheel!"

"Wait, WHAT!"

Noche rolled over the panicking boy and pushed him into the driver's seat. He screamed and gripped the handles until his knuckles turned white. The blonde raised to her full height on the edge of the backseat. The bike was racing at top speed, yet Noche stood tall and calm. Her heels touching, arms relaxed at her side, and hair whipping in every direction. She grinned and summoned her Omni-Oar.

Eyes locked onto the massive behemoth. They were focused. Fearless. Unblinking. She swung — the blade extended and sliced a feather in two. The ground exploded as both halves penetrated the floor adjacent to the motorcycle.

Jack was crying as more feathers impaled the road ahead, becoming obstacles he had to avoid. He swerved left and right to prevent crashing into the ebony pillars. The entire time Noche maintained her balance and blocked the barrage of feathers.

Her concentration was at its apex —the sword became a blur of a dozen swings. Quill after quill was cut, deflected, and thrown to the side. A smile crept onto her face as a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead.

"I'll be back!"

Noche used instant riptide before Jack could react — she launched herself towards a feather. Electricity covered Noche's body in an armor of gold as she ran up the giant thing. The blonde jumped from quill to quill leaving a streak of lightning in her wake.

She took off like an amber meteor towards the titan crow; it aimed its next shot at her.

Both biceps bulged as she grabbed the last feather, lightning coated the massive quill, and Noche screamed — she threw it right back at the crow. The crackling, golden arrow pierced its chest. The bird twitched and screeched as electricity pumped into its body.

The blonde wasn't done yet. Noche fired three Dead Light Cannons at the bird. Each explosion and implosion was too weak to harm the titan, but it kept it distracted long enough for her to get close.

Noche's sword extended and pierced ol' bird-brain in the shoulder. The dark blade cut through bone and muscle as if it was water, meeting no resistance as it sliced through. The titan screeched and broke out of its paralysis.

The crow snapped its beak towards Noche, her eyes widened, and she raised her arms in the nick of time. She was trapped in its mouth — between the upper and lower beaks, which were clamping down on her.

Veins popped on Noche's arms and neck as she used all her strength to resist getting chomped. The two beaks were crushing her — they were going to snap shut. Noche dropped her left arm, the crow almost got her, but she used her left shoulder to keep its mouth open.

She raised her scarred left hand and aimed down the throat. A blue compass swirled around her wrist as she began to charge up a more powerful Dead Light Cannon. Such an attack took time, something she had very little of as her bones were being crushed. The beaks were inching closer as Noche's mega-DLC gained power.

She fired — the storm orb went down the creature's throat.

Its scream launched her like a rocket towards the ground. At the last moment, Noche created a platform of air, summoned her sword, and used Instant Riptide to fly away. She raced in the sky for a few seconds before locating her motorcycle. Jack shouted as Noche landed in the seat, pulled him back, and took the wheel.

"Oh praise the sun, you're back!" He screamed.

The entire floor shook as the bird coughed up brackish blood.

"It's still not dead!" Noche yelled.

Another cascade of feathers came towards the group. Noche made a sharp turn to the side — a quill missing her head by inches. A wall of ice was created behind the blonde. Arrow after black arrow halted against the cold barrier. Sticking out like a porcupine's needles.

"For fucks sake bruh!" Mary yelled.

The giant crow dove down and hovered a few stories above the ground. Stalking the group like a low flying jet, its brackish blood began to bubble. Hundreds of normal-sized crows were born from the titan's wounds.

"FOR FUCKS SAKE BRUH!" Mary screamed.

Prismatic energy filled the air — a giant, orange pumpkin of acid appeared before the flock. Countless crows dissolved into meat and bone as they flew through the falling liquid. A barrage of arrows came next.

Vida's motorcycle exploded as a feather struck it. From the ball of fire, she emerged with Ouroboros. She hung on the side of the hula-hoop as jet fire sent it spinning faster than a buzzsaw.

The disc of fire flew towards Tak's motorcycle. Vida jumped, landed on the rear seat, and laid her back against Tak's.

"Drive immortal boy, drive," she laughed.

Prismatic energy shimmered above the crow; a fuel tankard was created above the titan. The exact size a semi-truck driver would take to a gas station. A flock of regular crows swarmed the potential explosive.

"Shaylin! Some help bruh!"

"Golly, my pleasure!"

Flickers of rainbow energy covered Shaylin before transforming into an array of winged robots. The android armada flew towards the crows — a series of mini-explosions occurred around the tankard as birds and robots fought. Wires and feathers were scattered everywhere in this mock spaceship battle.

"Vida blast it already!"

The blind girl removed her finger from her ear. She flicked a piece of ear wax off.

"Why should I?" She grinned. "I told you — I'm not helping."

Noche's face went red and her eye twitched. She raised her left hand and fired a beam of lightning towards the tankard. The explosion deafened the room and sent a shockwave racing towards them.

From the ball of flame, the crow titan re-emerged. Like a Phoenix of burned flesh and singed sinew, it flew faster than the shockwave and towards the blonde. Two forms of absolute destruction were gaining speed on her — she had to move.

Burning feathers were launched towards her. Each one exploded into a gout of flame on impact. Noche steered left and right, dodging explosion after explosion — a feather landed next to the bike.

Noche was knocked off the bike. Jack screamed for her as she tumbled on the ground. Bouncing like a rubber ball, she slowed down as the shockwave hit — again she was thrown. She slammed into a pile of debris and penetrated all the way through.

Gears, rebar, and concrete bounced with her as the crow swept down and clawed at her. Noche summoned her Omni-oar and sliced at the bird's feet as her back was sand-belted by the floor. She slammed the sword into the ground and used instant riptide to launch herself towards the crow.

The beast dodged backwards and Noche soared into the sky. Her sword retracted and it sent the blonde spinning like a top. Golden electricity coated the black blade as her velocity increased.

"I've had e-fucking-nough of you!" She yelled. "Lighthouse storm!"

Noche's sword enlarged to its skyscraper size. A massive beam of ebony and lightning crashed down onto the fire-covered crow. The entire floor shook from the impact.

She shrank her sword and used instant riptide. Her eyes scanned left and right for the bike — they widened it the sight of it going in reverse. Jack wasn't driving the motorcycle towards the elevator. It was coming back in her direction.

The sword retracted, a platform of air was created above Noche, she kicked down like a missile. She landed like a thunderbolt a good mile ahead of the motorcycle. The blonde turned her back, closed her eyes, and waited. She backflipped at the right moment and landed in the rear seat.

"Holy fu-"

"What are you doing!" Noche shouted.

"You fell off! I had to come back for-"

"-I'm fine! Just drive!"

Jack slammed the handles to the left and the bike made a sharp u-turn. It shot towards the elevator as a mountain of black began to shift up from the floor. Noche stared at the behemoth.

"How do we kill this thing?" She muttered.

"Look!"

Noche snapped her head forward — the elevator doors were closing.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!"

She throttled the gas as far as she could.

"I hate this, I hate this," Jack cried.

Another barrage of molten feathers made its way towards the group.

"ALICE! Do something!" Mary shouted.

The goth pulled her motorcycle up to Mary. She leaped and Mary held out her hand — they clasped and the violet-haired girl landed on the back of Mary's bike. Alice's vehicle wobbled and crashed into a pile of rubble.

"Three shots," Alice said.

"You only have three shots left!"

"No," Alice took aim. "I only need three."

Mary gagged. "Too cheesy!"

Alice turned to Mary and puffed out her cheeks. Mary grinned. The Fuck You sniper rifle was taken out — Alice leaned back on Mary, and snuck a quick kiss on the black girl's cheek, and fired.

The first bullet ricochetted from feather to feather — slamming into the crow's left eye. Brackish green fluid burst out of the glass orb. BANG. The second bullet hit the middle eye. A split second later, after rebounding across seven different surfaces, the third bullet hit the final eye.

Screeching filled the air as the blinded crow veered to the side and slammed into a massive concrete pillar.

"Alice! You're the best bruh!"

The quiet girl grinned.

"You sure you shouldn't be dating Nachos?" Vida yelled. "You know — with how cheesy you are."

Alice aimed her gun at the grinning blind girl.

"Don't flirt with her," Mary patted the rifle down.

"BITCH! What was that!" Noche yelled.

"I said fuck yooooou!" Vida cackled.

The pillar behind them exploded. The crow sent an explosion of burning feathers in all directions. Trails of volcanic smoke followed the molten missiles — they pierced the walls, floor, and elevator. Yet the damage wasn't enough to damage the thing.

Those gargantuan doors were almost closed. They had less than twenty feet of space — if they slowed down no one would make it. However, if they kept their speed, they would all splatter against the wall.

Tak grit his teeth and created an ice ramp at the far end of the elevator. The doors had less than ten feet of opening. Boots was the first to make it, followed by Shaylin. Mary, Alice, Tak, and Vida were next. It was Noche and Jack in dead last.

Less than five feet of opening remained.

"We're not gonna back it!" Jack screamed.

"We're gonna make it!"

Four feet.

"WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT!"

Three feet.

Prismatic energy formed behind the bike — an explosion of wind gave the motorcycle a boost. It scrapped the closing doors and sent a shower of sparks dancing alongside them.

Noche and the group hit the ice ramp. The incline became steeper and steeper until the entire party was driving vertically up the wall. Gravity began to take effect. All the bikes fell.

Cushions of air, jets of fire, plumes of snow, parachutes, telekinesis, and all forms of decision prevention were created. There was one foot of opening remaining and the crow hadn't slowed down. A final feather was launched towards the group.

Vida head-butted the molten quill — the entire shaft crumpled into itself. She laughed as the thirty-foot-long feather floated to the ground. The doors slammed shut. A second later a dozen dents appeared where more feathers were aimed. Followed by a massive impact.

There was a cacophony of booms as the crow pecked at the outside of the elevator. The lights flickered on and off as dust fell from the ceiling. Something caught Noche's eyes.

For a split second, there was a big grinning maw full of jagged teeth hiding in the shadows. It vanished when the lights came back on. Noche wasn't sure if she had imagined it or not; the elevator began its descent into the dark.

Sometime later, the elevator doors opened again.

"NOOOO! I neeeeeed it!" Noche screamed.

Mary and Alice pulled at the blonde as Shaylin chuckled.

"It's just a motorcycle Noche," Boots said. "Get over it."

"You don't understand! It's cool!" She said. "Imagine — I could get it pimped out. Black paint, gold trimmings, maybe some lightning décor? I'll name it thunder."

"Bruh, you're retarded."

"Language please," Shaylin giggled.

"Let this nightmare end," Boots sighed. "I'm exhausted."

"Like... One hp tired?' Alice whispered.

"What?"

"L-Like a hit point?" Tak said.

Boots blinked. "A what?"

"Gonna... Vomit," Jack muttered.

Vida laughed.

"T-This is Owl's floor, right?" Tak asked.

"Correct."

Noche shrugged off Mary and Alice. She turned to the motorcycle, bit her lip, and turned away with shut eyes.

"I'm sorry, motorcycle chan," Noche said. "It's not you — it's me."

Boots didn't blink, but his left eye did twitch as Noche pretended to cry. He walked towards her bike and raised his leg to a drop kick position.

"WAIT! Boots I'm sorry!" Noche smiled. "I'll behave — don't destroy my motorcycle."

The leg inched back towards the floor.

"Now that that's settled... The real challenge begins now," he scowled. "Each floor onwards there's a good chance we'll encounter a bird of death — Like Vida, don't expect my help."

"Aww come on Boots. We're gonna be fine," Noche said.

"We're very likely to get caught. I don't want to be on Edward's bad side when that happens," he said. "If you fail, I'd rather be seen as your prisoner than a willing accomplice. I'm only doing what's pragmatic for Spark."

"Yeah, yeah. Kiss my ass," Noche grumbled.

Boots shrugged. "Let's go."

About ten minutes later, the group stood outside a massive door.

"Shaylin, can you get a camera in there undetected?" Boots asked.

She nodded. Prismatic energy became a tiny drone. The ginger closed her right eye as the small robot snuck inside.

"Well beans, I think it's Owl," she whispered.

"Looks sixteen, blonde hair, resting bitch-boy face?" Boots asked.

She nodded.

"Yep — that's Owl."

"He's in the room with the next elevator?" Noche asked. "Why is he in that room specifically?"

"I don't know," Boots said. "I want to believe its coincidence..."

"Y-You think Edward put him there?" Tak asked.

"Who can say — he brought Cross straight to our home base," Boots paused. "Maybe he wants Cross to enter DeathTech... Nothing Edward does make sense."

"So, can we take him?" Noche grinned.

Boots turned to the blonde. His brows scrunched and his mouth half-open.

"He is nuke strong — you can lift a ton," Boots said.

"Two tons!" Noche interrupted.

"Still a lot less than a million," Boots said. "Which is, once again, what Owl can lift. And he's the WEAKEST of the Birds of Death."

The blonde crossed her arms and grumbled.

"We're not here to fight him," Boots said. "We need to get to the elevator — Owl won't follow us down... He'd be disobeying Edward if he did."

Boots paled as he said that. His body shivered as his eyes grew distant.

"And no one disobeys Edward's orders," he whispered.

Noche's gaze softened.

"So we make a mad dash towards the elevator," Mary said.

"We could make decent progress if we catch him off guard," Boots muttered.

Shaylin's eyes widened. They narrowed as a smile grew on her face.

"Gee golly gosh, sounds like we need a distraction," Shaylin said. "You said Owl can manipulate Drive?"

Boots nodded.

"Luckily, I can make my robots in advance," the ginger grinned. "Let's head somewhere safe — So I can create some toys to tinker with."

The group walked towards an unoccupied room and shut the door behind them. Prismatic energy became the flashing lights of a mad scientist. Sounds of robotic whirs, metallic hammering, and a sharp drill filled the air.

Most of the group was wide-eyed and jaw dropped at the things Shaylin manifested. The ginger defied all common sense when it came to the limitations of Create. It was almost as if there were no restrictions for her mind. What she made was far beyond the scope of a normal person. Her creations required the intellect of a genius.

Shaylin had scarcely begun, yet she already had everyone stunned; the blonde whistled.

"Looks like we're getting that surprise round after all," Noche grinned.