Orso Fiction 016

Orso Fiction 016-Rampaging (Part 1 of 2)
Nate Mercer slammed his empty mug of rattlesnake venom onto the Orso bar, right as the clock struck midnight. Things had gone too far, damnit, and he was going to fix them. Just as soon as he remembered how to stand, whoever it was that was causing the Orso these problems would be answering to his fist. Possibly other body parts, if he felt in the mood.

“Damnit!”, he shouted to no one in particular. “Who’s with me!?”

“Me!”, Kristen Pauley shouted. “I am!”

“I have no idea who you are, kid, and you’re probably too young to be allowed on such a dangerous and foolhardy mission.”, he replied. “Welcome aboard!”

And so Nate acquired the first member to his rampage.

---

Later, as Nate was storming, for no particular reason, the halls of the Orso base, Kristen had to ask him the inevitable question.

“So…where exactly will we be going? And to do what?”, she asked. Nate paused and thought about this for a good hour. When he woke Kristen up, he told her.

“We’re going to go fix…everything. The guys that made Zach and the others run off to train? We’ll fight them. Those chicks that are making it hard to get those metals? We’ll fight them too. That mongoose I swear says evil things to me when we’re alone in a room together? We’ll fight the hell out of him. Mary Reiter? Hell no. I’m not getting close to her.”, Nate said.

“And where do you think we’ll find them?”, Kristen asked, trying to keep up with Nate’s train of thought. The train more resembled an airplane on meth, so it was difficult.

Nate thought for a bit longer.

“I don’t know.”, he said.

“Then maybe I can help you.”, came a voice from around the corner. “I’d be more careful, if I were discussing a late-night rampage, Nate.”

“Kate Hansen…What brings you here?”, Nate asked.

“Well, things are just getting so interesting out here…I had to come show my face outside my office. There’s such great…information, to be found.”

“You talk like you know something.”, Nate said. Kate laughed at this.

“Something? I know lots of things, Nate. Some things that would…break your mind.”

“You sound dangerous.”, Nate said. “I like that in a woman.”

“Let’s talk business, Nate.”, Kate said, opening her laptop and displaying a map on the screen. “I got this off the Varia database.”

“Wow…So this hacking talent is why you’re called one of the Orso’s computer experts…”, Nate said, impressed.

“Actually, no. Bradley just left his laptop open in the cafeteria.”

“Oh. Well, just what is this map?”

“This map displays the location that Bradley received a mysterious call from recently. There are most certainly enemies to the family in this building.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”, Nate asked. “Let’s go!”

“Not so fast.”, Kate whispered. “We’re still two people shy of the usual amount of people that get sent on missions like this one.”

“You seem to know just how this place operates.”

“Please. Zach just publishes all the best stories about the family on Facebook. Remember the zombie story he recorded with you a while ago?”

“Oh, yeah, that was pretty fun.”, Nate said, smiling at the memory. “But now’s not the time for silly memories of totally awesome things. Let’s go find two members.”

“I’ll be able to fill half of that.”, Eddie Higgins said, clinging to the ceiling. He expertly dropped down, and exchanged a fist bump with Nate for an exceptional entrance.

“What are you bringing to the table for this mission, soldier?”, Nate asked.

“I use a penguin and a grizzly bear I stole from Zach. I’m good at sarcastic one-liners, and have a fascination with the evil running amuck around us.”, he replied. Nate nodded sagely.

“And your views on the use of extreme force?”

“Pro. Very pro.”

“Welcome to the team.”

---

Walking closer to the exit, they were stopped by Tori Walls.

“Oh hey, friends. Headed out for a bit?”, she asked, already knowing what was going on.

“Yes. We’re out to fix the injustices of this world.”, Nate said. “To right the wrongs. To cleanse these streets of evil. To shine a bright spotlight on the darkness on this fair planet!”

“Rattlesnake venom?”, Tori mouthed to Kristen, who nodded. Tori closed her eyes and nodded as well, understanding.

“Well, it just so happens I didn’t get to do much on my last mission, and I’d love another crack at getting something accomplished. I’m in.”

“Good to have you. So here we are. Off we go!”, Nate exclaimed, and didn’t move for a bit.

“What are you doing?”, Eddie asked.

“Usually, when I say something about going somewhere, I just have to wait a bit, and then I’m already there.”, he said, a bit confused.

“Yeah…Rattlesnake venom will make it feel like that.”, Kristen said. “Let’s get a move-on, so we can do this before the sun comes up.”

---

“Why are we stopping here?”, Kate asked, looking at the High’s, a little annoyed.

“Because I’m STARVING.”, Nate said. “Eddie, come with. Let’s go get some munchies.”

The two strolled in, and immediately walked toward the porn. Ten minutes later, they overheard a duo of teenage boys.

“Yeah, man. I’m telling you, the Home Depot. They just chill there during the night.”, one said. Nate could tell by his voice that he had long brown hair.

“Are these dudes as bad as you say they are?”, the other asked. Using the x-ray vision Nate imagined he had, he determined that this boy was black, with and a tattoo of a snake killing an eagle on his arm.

“Oh, hell yeah, man. You know Lil’ Mike? Straight up killed him when he tried to make a move on their turf.”

“Dayum…And you’re telling me we’re going to talk to THEM?”

“Yeah, fool, it’s all good. We’re telling ‘em we want to join ‘em, right? How pissed could they get?”

“Point, man.”

Nate sped around the shelf and slammed their two heads into the pastry shelf. He noticed a blueberry pie, and, finding this particularly appetizing at the moment, began to eat it as he interrogated them.

“Just who are you going to go see?”, he asked, in between bites of delicious dessert.

“We…we’re gonna go see the gang that moved here, from down south.”, the one with the brown hair whimpered. “They’re making a land grab here, and I heard they were looking for the Orso gang.”

“Looking for the Orso, huh?”, Nate asked, casually twisting the black one’s arm. “Tell me more.”

“Shit, man, we don’t know all that much! All we know is that the guys are total badasses, and they’ve come from down south, and they’re looking for the Orso gang, whoever they are!”, he said, in pain.

“Tell. Me. More.”, Nate said, forgetting exactly why he was hurting them so badly, but decided he didn’t really have an objection to it.

“Shit, man! They’re…they’re at the Home Depot. They just run that place, at night. One of ‘em guards the joint, and the other six roam the streets to get their name out.”

“They’re only seven to the gang?”

“What?”

Nate punched the boy.

“You know you’re not allowed to say ‘what’ when I’m interrogating you! There’s only SEVEN, in their GANG?”

“Yeah, it’s just the seven of them! But they’re ruthless, man!”

“Home Depot, huh?”, Nate said, twisting both their arms until he heard a pop. “Thank you. You two have been extremely cooperative.”

Nate then threw one to the ground and kicked him.

“You should cancel your plans to go visit.”, he said. “They’ll be out of business tonight.”

Nate walked toward Eddie, who was nibbling a magazine.

“You were really gentle with those two.”, Eddie said. “Are you getting soft?”

“Nah. It’s just been a good night so far.”, Nate said, taking a hearty bite out of another magazine. “Alright, I’m full, let’s head back out.

---

“What the hell were you doing in there?”, Kate asked them.

“Hush, you. It just so happens that we picked up some valuable information.”, Nate replied. “Before we stop at the place you picked, we need to go to the Home Depot. There’s a gang there that’s looking for the Orso.”

“That…IS where we were headed.”, Kate sighed. “And that IS the gang we’re after.”

“Well, then we’re killing two birds in one stone.”

“Except these birds are really…the exact same bird.”, Tori said, shaking her head.

“Hey! Let’s say these birds are…conjoined twin birds. So it’s kind of like killing two birds with one stone.”

“One very, very, clumsily thrown stone…”, Kristen sighed.

“…Shut up.”, Nate retorted, and smiled at his own incredible wit.

---

“Brothers, I almost forgot!”, Arduino said suddenly. Tammaro and Sansone looked at him. “The enemy used very peculiar weapons when we were fighting them. It’s unmistakable. It’s Uncle Osvaldo’s work.”

“How do you know?”, Sansone asked.

“Just…the feeling. Uncle made very…distinctive weapons.”

“So, now we know…”, Tammaro said. “Osvaldo is after the metals.”

“It all makes sense.”, Sansone said. “The Arcoferro would be great fodder for his experimentation. His madness, with the power of the Arcoferro? That would be a disaster…”

“This IS bad…”, Tammaro said. “If Osvaldo manages to get the set of seven, then not only will we not be able to make the Orso their set, these Seven Roses will be, almost by default, the most powerful family on this side of the world…”

“Well, all we can do is hope the Orso can retrieve all of them, I suppose.”, Arduino said “Until then, we wait.”

“Now…We should inform their Commander of what the Roses will be capable of.”, Tammaro said, getting out of his seat. “Anyone coming with?”

“I’ll come.”, Sansone said. “But I think Arduino has visitors.”

He gestured toward the door, where Rachel Larkin and Nicole Roberts stood.

---

The five, running toward Home Depot, suddenly came to a stop, when they saw a man standing alert by a wall. Nate silently motioned for them to gather around him.

“Alright, guys…”, he whispered. “I’ll take care of the one standing over there.”

Before anyone could protest, Nate agilely climbed up the bricks, then over, until he was directly above the man. He glided down, and swiftly broke the man’s neck.

“That takes care of the guard.”, Nate said, dusting himself off.

“Nate…This is Kohl’s. Home Depot is over that way.”, Kristen said.

“Your point?”

“This guy was definitely just standing there.”, Tori said. “I’m pretty sure you just broke an innocent bystander’s neck.”

“Huh.”, Nate said, scratching his chin. “Well, I’ve dealt with this before. If we just walk away like nothing happened, we can treat this whole ordeal like a comical misadventure, and not like the terrible tragedy it is.”

Eddie began strolling away, whistling to himself.

---

“No, no, I really am fine. Please, don’t worry about me.”, Arduino said, for what may have been the fourth time.

“Well, we apologize for not being able to protect you better.”, Rachel said sadly. “Now, Mr. Arduino…Please tell us, just what is your uncle Osvaldo like? It seems like we’ll have to face him, sooner or later.”

“Uncle Osvaldo is…a madman. He and my aunt fled the family because of their radical views. Uncle has no qualms with any of the most horrible crimes imaginable. The only thing he values is strength, at any cost.”

“How so?”, Nicole Roberts asked

“Well, let’s take the Sun Box Animal I saw…I believe it was named Apophis.”, Arduino said. “The others might say it was a Battery Box that enhanced its power, but I felt how different it was. That box held the animal’s “other half”. Its dark side, if you will. I felt that the second box held an incomplete energy. It would be unable to battle on its own, and uses the other animal, like a parasite. Osvaldo is just the kind of man to make a weapon like that. An animal in two parts, that reeks so clearly of darkness. One more thing I felt…”

“What was it?”, Rachel asked, leaning in.

“The girl, Orobella. I felt her darkness. It’s an animal in two parts, that relies on two separate energies from the master. The Dying Will Flames that fuel every Box Weapon, and the darkness of the user. That’s the tricky part. I don’t think Osvaldo, or anyone, would be able to make a weapon that runs on a person’s darkness, that didn’t quickly consume their soul. The reliance on darkness would, eventually, according to my calculations, destroy the master’s Dying Will. They would become a shell of their former selves.”

“So...you’re saying that these Box Animals are killing their masters?”, Nicole asked.

“How awful…”, Rachel added.

“Now, that suggests to me one or two of these two things…”, Arduino began. “Either these girls are absolutely desperate to get these metals, which, because they appear to have willingly surrendered to the group that retrieved Sansone…or they’re being led by someone with an incredible scheme, and the apathy to their troops to allow for such tactics…And there’s only one person I know with the mindpower to orchestrate a scheme that would turn not having the keys to victory into success.”

“Who is that?”, Nicole asked.

“My aunt Sonia…”, Arduino said. “So it happened. The two have teamed up to defeat my father in their little game…”

---

“I see…”, Bradley said. “But…I don’t think I handle this right now.”

“What do you mean?”, Tammaro asked.

“Well, the Varia has devoted its efforts to another group. But, I’ve already informed the one I’ll be putting in charge of the Seven Roses.”

“Who is that?”, Sansone asked.

“That would be me.”, came the voice from behind them. They turned to see Taylor Houston.

“Taylor Houston. She’s the Head Agent of the Orso. That’s a rank roughly equivalent with Commander and Outside Advisor, and just under…Boss.

“I’ll be able to handle these girls.”, Taylor said confidently. “My Agents are twice the fighters Bradley’s Varia are.”

“That’s a pretty bold claim.”, Bradley said, chuckling. “We might have to settle that, some day.”

“Well, we’ll focus on the real enemies at first. Now, Bradley, who are these enemies you’re too preoccupied with to handle the Roses?

“Well, from the information we’ve gathered, they’re a small group, like the Seven Roses. They gained a little reputation down south. They’re undoubtedly dangerous.”

“Do you know their base of operations?”, Taylor asked.

“It’s surprisingly close…”, Bradley said. “The Home Depot.”

---

The five crept up to Home Depot.

“Five little mice, wandering around this late at night, around our turf?”, bellowed a voice from above them. They looked up to see a giant man with medium length black hair and piercing brown eyes looking down at them from the roof. “But not one of you is the Commander, or the little girl with the serval…What an insult, that the Orso send a bunch of nobodies to meet us.”

“No one sent us.”, Eddie said boldly. “We’re here of our own authority.”

“Is that right?”, the man asked, jumping off, cracking the cement where he landed. ‘Well, how lucky. Guard duty is a little boring. I needed a little amusement. The five of you can all come at me at once, if you like.”

Nate nodded, ignited his ring, and put it into his box. The Storm Bull, Dick emerged, ready for battle. Immediately after, Kristen released her Cloud Cat, Smiley, and Eddie released his Cloud Penguin, Eddie, and his Cloud Bear, Eddie.

Tori ignited her ring in blue Rain Flames, and released her Rain Rabbit.

“Let’s do this, Alice.”, Tori said. Kate gave a sideways glance to the tiny animal, and released her Mist Tiger.

“You ready to fight…Shazam?”, Kate asked. The tiger roared in excitement.

“Adorable, all five of them.”, the man said, slipping on a green ring, with a skull and crossbones design. “I won’t need mine. Come at me.”

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