AMBUSH (Ch. 136)

Sebastian's eyes flicker open as the train comes to a halt, finding no need for haste as the people bustle out if through the doors. Exiting after the first outpour of the crowd he flags a cab, 

"Where too?" The young cab man inquires,

"West side" Sebastian replies intent on Shifting the way back,

"Aight" the young cab man replies, Sebastian's eyes close as he ponders his next course of action, a message rings through his phone, opening his eyes he takes a look, the number unknown, the message,

"Do not alert them or they'll withdraw, for now they're unaware, take them into custody, interrogate then reply, you're welcome" it reads, Sebastian's forehead squeezes in confusion,

(Alert?, Alert who?, And unaware of what?) Sebastian ponders, he attempts to respond when he notices the connection go dead,

"Typical, should get a new sim" he frowns,

"Not that any of these service provider companies are any good anyway" the young driver replied,

"True that" Sebastian replies,

"Hey i don't know if it's just me, but has that car been following us?" The driver inquires tensely. Sebastian turns picking the sights of an all black heavily tinted car, he attempts enhancing his sight when the content of the message comes to mind, glancing back at it he mules upon it with new contextual understanding.

"Don't worry about it..." He begins when the car behind them suddenly speeds up to their side the window rolling down to reveal a portable rocket launcher.

"FLOOR IT!" Sebastian shouts his back hitting the seat as the young driver slams the accelerator, 

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! Who the fuck are you!" He screams whipping into a turn, a glance behind them and Sebastian picks the sight of the portable rocket launcher extending out of the passenger seat window. Sebastian controls his output exacting the power of an ATTUNEMENT level Shifter, his Pseudo Domain centered around the car, the driver screams,

"FUCKKKK!" Swerving to dodge as the rocket detonates against the ground beside the dodged car, Sebastian's Pseudo Domain nullifying all damage as the car  breezes past, the flames unable to encroach,

"Advancement level certified, mission can proceed" the man responsible for firing the portable rocket launcher states into a communicator. 

"Shit!" The young driver exclaims noticing a high road barricade, slamming the breaks and Cutting the steering to the side as the cab stretches to a halt. 

"Stay inside" Sebastian orders, several other cars arrive simply seconds after,

(We're they following behind?, No, i would have noticed, they must have forced the kid into this path on purpose) he ponders empowering his ATTUNED arts first, three people, all in all black body fitting combat gear, two women one man, the two women empowering their ATTUNED arts while the man enacts his Pseudo Domain,

"Ah, so this is what the text meant" he realizes having scanned the area and noticing that this combat force was all there is,

(They don't know i've advanced) he mules holding back a smile, he's just about to empower his 'Pseudo Domain' to play along when the young driver surprisingly blurs behind him, Sebastian beyond fast enough to counter plays along still,

(So he's one of them) he muses turning to mimick suprise as the huge syringe breaks against his back, (that's the same drug that bastard dosed me with) he frowns catching the driver who attempts to fall back by his skull, 

"Oh?" Sebastian raises an eyebrow realising something interesting "this explains how they have so many ATTUNEMENT level Shifters, and why they're weaker than real ones, poor chap here will never advance again, might never even be able to enact a Pseudo Domain, and even that would be the limit" he soliloquizes, crashing the young driver skull first into the ground creating a massive crater instantly,

(Seems i didn't hold back enough) he ponders realising the driver is unconscious, the remaining three spread their visage ever impassive but their mannerism rife with tension,

(So this is the difference between ZONE and everything else, this must be why the old heads call it the true beginning, when a Martial artist truly becomes a SHIFTER, must be why you'll NEVER hear a ZONE advancement level Shifter lose to any advancement lower) he ponders allowing the three strike him with vehement fervence, (even though my body is still going through the changes i'm already basically impregnable to those of their advancement) he ponders his casual kick thrashing the man aside, seeing the two who'd fired at him attempt to leave, he rises from his position layed inside his body printed crater bursting with pace as he whips his kick into the car's forward tire causing it to flips crashing violently,

(Why did they try to run?) He mules crashing a viciously quick uppercut against the first female combatant, her head cracking back with a sickening crunch, her neck had snapped, his eyes glance back to the men groaning inside the car, the one in the passenger seat, a communicator falling out if his grasp, (I see, short range signals, they're the reason my phone signal went out, as long as no one gets away..., How convenient) he ponders, his body heating as his blasts the second female combatant aside, the kick shattering her rib cage, he drops to a knee coughing in pain as his body heats up to furnace levels, his clothes burning slowly, he staggers his way to the two men, his kick shattering the phone placed on the man in the passenger seats ear against his skull causing the side of his head to erupt with blood, the man beside him raising his hands up in surrender, Sebastian pulls him out of the flipped car by his collar before knocking him unconscious, his vision begins to swim as he staggers to his phone, a timely call from Riley saving him the stress, 

"Seb, where are you?, The boys are waiting for you" she states, the momentary silence following after prompting her to call out to him again, "Seb?" 

"Babe..." He groans as steam overtakes his airways causing him to descend into a fit of coughs, 

"Seb are you okay?!!",

"Help" he calls, 

"Where are you??!" She inquires emphatically,

"West side, the barricaded road of main side" he forces as steam bellows out every orifice. Sebastian forces himself to maintain consiousness, the minutes tick by, the three combatants finally finding their feet,

(This is bad), the female who's ribs he'd shattered using her muscle control to hold her shattered and fractured ribs in place, beside her the man with similar injuries, Sebastian staggers to his feet, making a quick mental calculation,

(It should take them fifteen minutes to get here even at their fastest, i'll have to deal with this alone) he realises, (i should still have the advantage) he ponders, meeting the man's straight blow by leaning to dodge while whipping his shin with all he could muster against his head blowing him aside, this time with a grevious injury to his skull, 

(Bastard was aiming for my head, she'll most likely do the same) he muses as he leaves his head open by staggering forward dropping to a knee with his head dipped, the female combatant blurs before him her leg winded back to blast his head like a ball for goal, Sebastian forces himself to empower his Defence art : 'Contorted Waves', a 'Force' art allows the user to use 'Force' to contort the space around it to limited degrees in order to achieve various effects. The attack misses, her leg displaced by his Defence, Sebastian's head whips upward his eyes morphed obsidian irises white, he blurs forward his leg thrashing against her ribs again, this time obliderating her rib bones to puzzle pieces, Sebastian's chest heaves as steam overtakes his senses he drops unconscious.