Outside of the massive tumor, planes and lab trucks surrounded the tumor. Looking for a weak spot to open a portal into it. The planes scanned the whole tumor, trying to find a spot where the virus powers are weaker.
Rale stood next to a lab truck, looking at the tumor which had covered the entire continent where Xectar City sits. Every citizen on Earth are yet again evacuated. Military bases on Mars are standing by, ready to come help once an order is delivered, from the ruler of the planet, Sir Oswald Mevel.
Inside the tumor, Rhea walked around the hole, still contacting Albur and Mysty who are inside the car park. Covie flew around, staring at the tumor walls. She could see the planes of UTD circling outside the tumor by looking at their shadows that blocked the penetrating sun light.
She have nothing to do, the thing she is working on is undergoing a process she needs to wait. She sometimes would unknowingly lean on something that doesn't exist and even talk to air.
She turned and stared at the moon hut, sitting there, alone. She floated around the city area, staring at the places where the skyscrapers once stood. That is when she notice virus lifeforms begun approaching the hole. Alphas and their packs sniffing around the massive hole filled with boulders. Though their weight is not enough to make the boulders slide despite they stand on them.
They remained distance with Rhea since they knew what happened to other packs. They would sometimes snarl at Covie and sniff around the moon hut. Covie ushers them away by slamming the head of one of the virus lifeforms, signaling she isn't someone to be messed with.
Just then, when Rhea is talking to Albur about the shape shifter, the tumor walls begun squirming violently. They are rapidly contracting and expanding, they are so contracted and pulled together, virus liquid begun leaking out.
Rhea looked up and stared at the tumor walls, purple liquid begun dripping from the tumor ceiling. She opened her helmet to prevent them from dripping into her eyes, since the hazmat suit is getting weaker day after day. Covie hurried into the moon hut, she grabbed a waterproof cloth from the workshop room and used it to cover the moon hut.
Rhea observed the surroundings, the floor begun to be soaked with virus liquid. Covie carried the hut on her to prevent it from getting soaked in virus liquid. Rhea turned to look at the hole, the virus liquid are slowly flowing towards the gap between the boulders.
"Gosh darn it..."
Rhea begun to panic, the virus liquids might flood the whole underground structure. She tries to look for things that she can use to block those virus substances from entering. Just then, the walls stop moving. Virus liquid stopped dripping, Rhea paused what she was doing, Covie turned to look at the sky.
Just as they are wondering what is going on, they heard 4 applauses. A chill went up their spine, Covie guarded the hut behind her, Rhea enlarged her battle bot suit and jumped into it. She had her weapons drew out, entered battle stance.
Just then, a silhouette appeared right behind Rhea. She reacted quickly and turned around, she swung her leg straight at the silhouette. Her leg landed, but she found out it is just a silhouette made of dust.
"Wh- huh?"
Rhea stared at the dust on the floor in confusion. Just then, she heard a muffled voice.
It came from behind her, she turned around, and found its from Covie. Her face is being wrapped around by an arm, blocking her sound outlet. The arm belongs to Cluster, whom has Covie in his hands and holding his staff. He grabbed her tightly and gagged her, preventing her from getting away. Covie tries to use her strength and break free, but Cluster casted a spell on her, making her unable to use her full strength. Rhea aimed her weapons at Cluster.
"Hello...my hard shell marshmallows..."
"Let go of her!"
Rhea took a step forward, Cluster pointed his staff at Covie, the gem glowed a bright light, an energy orb is charged near the gem. Covie stared at the orb in fear, oil begun leaking out of her eyes as she desperately tries to break free and scream.
Rhea took a step back, and lowered her weapons. Cluster chuckled in delight, and turned down to look at Covie.
"Oh look at you, such a cute, tiny little drone....."
Cluster pressed the staff on Covie's screen, slowly scraping it.
"Why are you here?...where's your father?"
Cluster turned to look at Rhea, she remained calm, but struggled with choosing whether to raise her weapons or not. His grin grew wider as he raised his staff. Rhea tightened her fist.
"I said...let go of her!"
"Then tell me, why should I listen to you?"
Cluster turned to look at Covie.
"This little...girl....and her kind is absolutely disgusting! If it isn't her father, there would have so~~~~~much more fun. They always recover injuries.....in a BLINK OF AN EYE!"
"Don't let me fold you like an omelet..."
Cluster stabbed one of the end of the staff into the ground, slightly cracking it. He looked at the virus liquid on the floor. He raised the staff and casted a lightning. It struck the floor, every virus liquid on the floor were vaporized. Cluster swung the staff again, he collected the virus liquid vapors in the air and fired them all into the sky through a lightning.
The lightning reached the sky and exploded, forming a large and black cloud. Rhea took a step back, and stared at the dark cloud.
"I'll drop a cloud here, should cause enough trouble for you....."
Cluster cackled as he took a few step back.
"I'll see you in the next act...."
Rhea realized he is about to escape. She quickly locked onto Cluster and fired heat-seeking missiles. Cluster bowed as he raised his staff to create a teleporting lightning.
But Cluster's pride still got the best of him, he held back. One of the missiles hit Cluster at his back, it exploded. Cluster took a few steps forward, causing the teleporting lightning to miss him. Rhea fired another barrage of missiles and also fired sleep gas bombs. The sleep gas bombs created a fog of sleep gas, making Cluster unable to spot the heat-seeking missiles.
They all hit him, he let go of Covie, dropping her onto the floor. Covie quickly got her propellers to work and flew to Rhea, hiding behind her, still scared. Though Cluster doesn't seem to be injured by those missiles. He just stood up and adjusted his clothes. He isn't even affected by the sleep gases.
"Well then.....I was hoping to get rid of that party pooper..."
Rhea pressed a button on the battle bot suit. Its chest plate opened, revealing a massive rocket. Cluster looked at it, and smirked. Rhea steadied her stance and fired the rocket, she managed to parry the recoil.
The rocket dove straight into Cluster face. But it just penetrated him. It hit a building behind him, it collapsed and sent cracks to spread across the floor. Cluster sighed, and used his staff to summon another teleporting lightning. This time it struck him, he vanished.
Rhea stared at the place Cluster used to stand, now empty. She exclaimed in frustration, and stomped on the ground.
"He got away again!!!!!!!!"
Rhea is getting closer and closer to her break down. But then, she felt numerous taps on her shoulder. She turned to look at her back, its Covie, who looks frightened. She pointed at the sky with shaking hands.
"Rhea....the sky...."
Rhea turned to look at the sky. She completely forgot about the dark cloud. Lightning flashed as thunder crashed, purple lightning appeared in the cloud. The cloud nearly covered the whole tumor walls, blocking sunlight, causing the whole tumor to be in darkness. Rhea stared at it, and shook her head as she backed away.
Then, the cloud began to rain, but not just any rain water, its the virus liquid. Covie rushed back into the moon hut and covered it with more water proof cloth. Rhea begun analyzing the cloud, the cloud is completely made out of virus liquid vapors. Purple lightning resembling the ones Cluster created appeared in the cloud.
Rhea realized this is very not good. She have to warn the two inside the car park and figure out a way to disperse this cloud.
"Albur! Albur! Do you copy? Hello? Hello?"
"This is Albur, Rhea? What's wrong?"
"We have an emergency! There's a cumulonimbus raining down virus liquids!"
"A what?"
"A thunder cloud!"
The cloud struck down a purple lightning, hitting the boulders. They begun to crack as the heavy rain made the ground wet and slippery. Rhea looked into her armory, nothing works out well when dealing with a thunder cloud.
"A thunder cloud what? What is the situation?"
"Its raining virus liquid! They are flowing into the car park!"
"What? What are-ar-ar-are-e-e.....sa-y-y-y-y ...g-g-g"
The signal of the walkie talkie begun to become unstable. Rhea knocked onto the walkie talkie multiple times, trying to get it to work.
"Not now! Why spoil now out of all freaking days?!"
Rhea kept the walkie talkie in fury, she warmed up her battle bot suit and started running around the hole. Covie took out an umbrella and opened it but the semi-sphere barrier it created begun to flicker frequently.
Rhea looked for tiny gaps between the interlocking boulders and filled them up with soil. That doesn't stop the virus liquids from leaking into the car park though. Her battle bot suit begun to become weaker as the virus substances dripped onto the knees and elbows of the suit.
Rhea exited the suit. She looked at the cloud, trying to predict where will the next lightning strike. She then opened her body settings using her computer right side head and activated a setting.
"Electricity insulator plates activated."
A faint, hairline materialized on Rhea's back, its panel split open, revealing a hidden hatch in side her body. Then, four plates that are made out of highly durable electricity insulators floated out of the hatch. The split into all kinds of shape, including the shape of the wrist, knees, hands, and feet.
The plates covered Rhea's entire cyborg body, forming an armor made out of lightning insulators. Covie stared at her in amazement.
"What do you still have up your sleeves?"
"We have a mission, questions for later!"
Rhea stared at the cloud, a purple lightning wrapped around a part of the cloud. Rhea sprinted to a pair of interlocking boulders. As she expected, a lightning struck down, she blocked the lightning using her right hand. Despite having the insulator armor equipped, the lightning still caused significant damage to her.
Covie quickly healed her, but another lightning wrapped around the part of the cloud under Covie.
Rhea quickly hurried to her and blocked the lightning from hitting Covie. The cloud did not stop sending down lightning strikes. Rhea blocked herself between Covie and the cloud, tanking the lightning that struck down. Electrical sparks begin to appear on Rhea's body as the lightning strikes damaged her body.
Covie wants to heal her, but the lightning strikes that hit Rhea's back spread to the ground, nearly striking Covie. Terrified, she stayed under Rhea's arms, not knowing what she can do to help.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cluster continued to stare at the two struggling to stop the rumbling nimbus from afar. He grinned as the lightnings light flashed onto his face, the dark made his glowing purple pupils way more obvious. He turned to look at the hole, and gently used his staff to remove some of the rocks blocking the tiny gap, allowing the virus rain water to enter the car park.
Then, Cluster raised his staff.
The gem fired out a purple light, covering the a big portion of the hole. Forming a transparent purple layer. However that did not block the virus liquid from entering the hole.
Cluster begun chuckling, he put his hands on his face and threw his head backwards. He begun laughing maliciously, the thunder roars seem to sync with him.
"At last, the show is about....to begin....Your departure....MY PLEASURE!!!!"
Cluster's laugh echoed across the tumor.