Suicide Squad

Kain ran for his life as a group of zombies burst through the protective barrier. He heard defenders screaming and falling behind him as gunshots and explosions rang out incessantly. Time seemed to slow down as the inside of his head felt like a ball of cotton, before the concussive blast of an explosion launched him clear across the walkway.

Kain struggled to crawl forward to safety as blood dripped down from his forehead. He could only hear ringing as he quietly accepted that this might finally be it. The end of the road.

His vision was blurry and his senses dull, but out of the corner of his eyes he saw movement. He craned his neck up and saw the hazy figure of a woman floating in the air. Behind her were five swords in varying colors, arrayed like silent sentinels.

The woman waved her hand and the swords came alive, flashing past Kain's field of vision. Kain could barely make out a confident smile as the woman silently floated past him. Kain couldn't resist and turned his head.

He saw the zombies falling to the wayside, as the five swords made quick work of them, much like a farmer's scythe to grains of wheat. Limbs separated cleanly and tumbled through the air in a beautiful dance.

Kain's vision was fading, and as the encroaching darkness began to blanket him, only one thought reverberated in his mind: When would he be that strong?

---

Kain awoke to a splitting headache as he groaned in pain. He found himself lying in a bed within his garrison. Nearby, he heard some huffing noises and looked over to see his friend Barton doing push-ups on the floor. When he completed a set, he stood up from the ground and flexed his arms to an imaginary audience.

Barton was a brawny young man, of a similar age with Kain. He had blond hair that was short on the sides and slightly longer in the front. He gave off the vibe of a hoodlum, easily spurred into a fight when provoked. He had blue eyes and tanned skin to go along with bulging muscles. He was a veritable tank of a man, and he would be the first one to say so. Barton was certainly cocky at times and had a temper, but he was a good friend who went through thick and thin with him.

Kain himself was a young man who had just turned 19 a few days back. He had dark black hair and a face with symmetrical features. Some would say he cut quite the dashing figure, evidenced by the roguish smile that framed a chiseled face. As opposed to Barton, he was lithe, like a panther. His sinewy muscles hinted more at speed rather than strength. His eyes were pale green and hawkish, perhaps influenced by his primary role as a sniper in the battlefield.

Barton noticed that Kain was awake and he said, "Hey Buddy, finally decided to rejoin the land of the living, huh? A healer came by earlier and patched you right up. He gave you a clean bill of health, aside from a possible headache from the residual pain."

Kain nodded in thanks for the update as he sat up at the edge of his bed. Just as he was about to get up and move his aching muscles, he saw his other good friend Desmond walk into the room with a frown on his face.

Desmond was a man approaching middle age and tended to gravitate towards being the strong, silent type. He had survived many more missions than either of them, evidenced by the sheen of a bionic arm made of azurite and a pale white scar running down his neck. Black hair cascaded down like a lion's mane and framed deep brown eyes. He was rather quite tall, with an austere demeanor that generally brooked no nonsense from others.

Noticing their questioning looks, he merely motioned them to look at the letter in his hands. Kain and Barton gathered around him and read the letter:

"The Council requires your services and you are to report to ARC to receive further orders. You are to dispatch with your regiment at noon. Godspeed."

"Damn, this is bullshit! It is hard enough to survive on the walls, it is downright suicide to go out on a mission!" yelled an aggravated Barton.

Worry creased Kain's forehead because he had never been sent out beyond the wall. The likelihood of his survival on such an endeavor was slim to none. Ever since the radiation arrived and changed the world, people either turned into a zombie, a monster, or a meta-human. Unfortunately, 70% of the population was converted to zombies and monsters, while only 30% became meta-humans. Add on to the fact that zombies could infect others, and it was no wonder humanity was on the brink of collapse.

Kain had yet to awaken any powers, relegating him to the very bottom of the hierarchy as the weakest of meta-humans. He wasn't even strong enough to reach the most basic Esquire tier, which required 5 times strength, agility, and speed.

The lack of a power frustrated Kain to no end because his friends had long awakened theirs. Barton transformed into a hulking mass of muscle that provided near impervious skin, along with increased strength and speed. Desmond had an even greater power, the ability to control gravity. He could increase the gravity felt by any opponents withing a certain radius. The applications of his ability were as of yet, untapped, and his potential seemed to reach as far as the vaunted Genji-tier, the highest level of power for meta-humans.

Then, there was his childhood friend Saya. She had awakened one of the greatest of powers: void control. Kain closed his eyes and thought back to the moment he witnessed the birth of her powers. When the two were desperately fleeing their destroyed hometown, Kain decided to slow down the oncoming horde while Saya would continue to run.

As the moment of death quickly approached, Kain saw a chaotic orb appear and proceed to eviscerate the ranks of the monsters. He turned to see Saya with a glowing purple hand raised in front of her, as surprise and relief brightened her face. When they safely evacuated to the last standing city of Bastion, she quickly garnered the attention of the Council, the highest body of authority. The Council saw the potential of her powers and was willing to support and provide her resources all the way up to Genji-tier.

Kain had deep feelings for Saya and hoped that she felt the same way. However, they lived in two separate worlds now, on account of the differences in their abilities. He sighed and reached his fingers into the face of his watch and drew out a capsule. It was a shiny effervescent blue with glowing sparkles circulating within.

Both the watch and the capsule were part of the last gifts Saya had sent him. The watch had a void pocket the size of a backpack, courtesy of Saya's powers. The capsule was a blue enhance pill, which would temporarily boost strength, agility, and speed by 3 times for an hour. It wasn't as good as the green pill she had sent him, which permanently boosted his stats by 2 times. However, it was still good enough to be a trump card that could save his life.

Kain noticed that both of his friends were prepping to head over to the ARC, so he shook his head out of his reverie. He proceeded to pack up his gear and popped a ration pill into his mouth. The taste was unappealing, but it did its job and got rid of his hunger.

Next, he checked his pistol, automatic, and sniper rifle and made sure they were in working order. He had standard issue ammo, with no armor piercing rounds or magic rounds, as those were earmarked for wall defenders and more elite garrisons. Standard issue was good enough for non-evolved zombies as long as he went for the eyes or a head-shot.

Satisfied with his preparations, he headed over to his friends and they started moving towards the tram rail. Barton play punched him in the shoulder as he joked, "Let's hope you are bed bound for a completely different reason tomorrow morning. You never know, you may meet someone special during this mission."

Barton laughed at his own jest, while Desmond remained his usual stoic self. Kain smiled, but didn't bother to respond.

Others in the garrison were heading out to their various assignments as well. They continued to follow the directions to the correct platform to reach the ARC. When they entered the correct tram to their destination, Kain looked out the window as the morning light washed over him. An announcement rang over the tram speakers: "Next stop, Assist and Reconnaissance Commission."

As the tram picked up speed and the figures outside the window became blurry, Kain found himself thinking about the figure of the woman and the five swords and wondered: Would today finally be the day he awoke his powers?