Chapter 690 - Prototype Fight

Elsewhere :

Rose's eyelids flutter as she slowly awakens, the soft mattress bringing a small smile to her tired face, but the cold, almost sterile air making her pull her covers over her head.

She lies there for a couple seconds, but immediately sits upright as recent events settle in her mind. "M-Mamma!" she exclaims as her eyes shoot open, the girl becoming surprised at the strange place she'd found herself in...

*Flashback*

The last thing she remembered was some sort of green smoke falling from the sky... Her mother dropping to the floor moments after for no reason whatsoever... She remembered the first aid things she'd been taught by Auntie Usanagi, but quickly became distraught when she didn't feel any pulse from her mother.

She started performing CPR, doing so for a couple minutes, but achieving anything at all. "Mama! Please wake up! Mama!" she begs, clutching Josie's slowly cooling body.

From the thick green fog covering them a large shadow appears, kneeling down next to her as it coughs and wretches from the fog. "Child! It's me, Marcus!... We need to leave! Look!" he exclaims, pointing in the distance, where large blue lasers could vaguely be seen from the fog.

But Rose refused to leave Josie, forcing Marcus to pick up the child and start running down the road in an attempt to avoid what was coming.

Rose reacts instinctively, entangling Marcus in roots stifling his movement greatly... He's actually forced to knock the little girl unconscious so he could save them both... Indeed, he could feel the static on his skin, feel the attack that was about to be unleashed.

In response to being knocked out, Rose's hair shoots out roots with envelope Marcus, quickly tightening after and forming a sort of pseudo armour around him. He ignores the peculiar sensation and continues running however, just as a humungous explosion occurs behind him.

*Flashback end*

Rose begins tearing up, the realisation that her mother was dead finally hitting her. She sits in the peculiar room and silently sobs to herself, unable to sees the walls becoming transparent and revealing Mr House, Tamia, Ulysses, and many other people watching her with concern.

"Rosie." Tamia says through the intercom, causing the girl to still and rigidly turn around.

"*Sniff-Sniff*, A-auntie?"

Tamia nods and gives a small smile, "Yes, I'm here Rosie."

"Auntie!" she repeats, running to the window where Tamia was standing, but quickly becoming confused at the divide separating them.

"That's for your safety as well as ours, Rosie... That green smoke? It contained a deadly virus that kills almost everyone instantly. You are resistant to it, but the rest of us aren't... You can't come out of that room until we deem it safe." she explains, attempting to comfort the young girl.

Rose sniffs to herself, an inch away from breaking down again, but forces herself to stay strong... For now. "W-where is daddy?"

House interrupts at this moment, his robot body stepping forwards as a screen lowers nearby, "He brought you in, but needed to leave in order to fight the people who attacked us. We can see how he's doing, but, it might not be pretty... Are you sure you want to see this?"

Rose nods, determination scrunching up her face. "I want to!"

The other people present also turn towards the monitor as it flickers to life, displaying one of the many cameras that were keeping an eye on the city above. There, they see Afton swinging an alien spacecraft at another with one of his mutated arms, the attack utterly annihilating both flying saucers which smashed into one another.

Ooo's from the crowd can be heard, most having never witnessed Afton fighting... Indeed, most of Afton's close friends had never seen him fight like this before. He was usually more tame, and due to his massively increased stats, most assumed that he'd been holding back ever since they met him.

After all, even Psykers would struggle to pull off the feats he was casually displaying now... Throwing vehicles, punching flying saucers apart, leaping from the walls of buildings like a human-sized rubber ball.

They could see he was having some difficulties though, not daring to directly block a laser the aliens sent at him. Judging by the fact they disintegrated anything that got hit, it was probably for the best anyway.

This only made everyone more anxious for his safety though, not knowing if he'd dodge the next attack, or even be able to withstand a stray shot he might not see coming.

Soon enough, the Aliens learn their collective lesson and stay far, far away from Afton while shooting him.

House hums to himself with consternation, "Hmm, seems like I will have to intervene... As much as I hate having to show him this." he mutters, wirelessly accessing the city's systems.

Elsewhere :

Afton growls as the aircraft continue to fly out of his reach. He gives up all defence and makes a reckless leap into the sky for one of the closer ones, but doesn't manage to reach them. In response, the flying saucers blast him with many lasers, most of which he dodges, but...

*POW!*

*HIIK!*

He shields himself with a root shield, but is knocked clear across the city from the sheer force of the impact. His root shield almost entirely vaporizing and releasing a steam explosion as a result.

It's lucky he doesn't take any fall damage, otherwise he'd have been bruised all over, bouncing off of the rooftops and eventually tumbling into an alleyway.

He tears off the remnants of the root shield connected to his arm, "HOT!" he exclaims while tossing away the scorched material.

"Afton!"

Afton jumps at hearing his name, almost turning around and shredding the suddenly appearing terminal that'd popped out of the wall.. "House?" he asks after spotting the man's face on the screen.