Project S.T.A.T.I.C. Part 5: The Asylum

Jake, Beth, Addy, Sally, Rebecca, and Pam quickly split up as Chaos began charging towards them. Everyone began sprinting in different directions. Chaos was free from the controller and inhibitor With that freedom came a wild unpredictability. The woman beneath the monster was furious and filled with hate and regret. She’d killed her former handler the second that the controller had been broken, and she’d started lashing out and attacking anything and everything in sight. The number of dolls she’d broken and blown through was climbing rapidly as she ran wildly through the operating theater.

Beth opened fire at Chaos to draw her attention and try to hurt the gray-skinned titan. She fired with her forty-five caliber pistol instead of her mystical revolver. The bullets cut through Chaos’ flesh, but yet again there seemed to be little to no blood pumping through her veins. However, Beth noticed that her face, unlike before, seemed to register the pain. Chaos let out a pained and distorted shriek as she redirected her anger and fury at Beth. Beth shook her head and turned her attention towards the path ahead. 

There were still more dolls that were dropping down and into the theater, and Beth was running towards a wall of them to avoid the incoming monster. She bent down and turned to the side as she got close. She threw her shoulder into one of them and launched herself into a roll over it. She stuck her foot out to aim her boot at the jaw of one of the others. She landed on her feet with a slight stumble before barreling through the mass of mangled patients. She shoved past a couple of them that tried to grab hold of her and drag her down. Behind her, the thundering footfalls of Chaos’ massive boots could be heard getting closer.

Jake had watched as Beth made the first move to capture the focus of Chaos. He looked around to see Rebecca, Pam, and Sally running in opposite directions. His eyes met Addy’s as he looked around, and she gave him a nod of silent understanding. Jake nodded back as he changed direction and ran towards Chaos who was rapidly gaining ground in pursuit of Beth. He could see Addy changing direction out of the corner of his eye. He hoped that a two pronged assault might have some sort of effect on the monstrous woman. 

“Rebecca!” Pam shouted, watching Jake and Addy trying to surprise Chaos.

Rebecca skidded to a halt and looked at where her friend was pointing. She closed her eyes and called to Jake through the communication stone around her neck, “Jake, count to three and jump.”

Jake heard the voice of his ex echo through his head. He didn’t question her as he started counting down. He was closing in on Chaos and Beth when he reached three. He kicked off to launch into a leap as he got close to the wall of dolls. He was surprised when he felt the ground beneath him suddenly start to rise. A circular section of the stone floor shot up and gave Jake a substantial boost into the air. Jake flinched but recovered quickly. He was propelled towards Chaos and prepared for a surprise attack.

Rebecca pulled one of her hands back and raised two fingers. She swiped her hand from side to side and concentrated on the pillar she’d summoned for Jake. The pillar of earth broke and split into small, circular disks that she took control of with ease. She watched as Jake slammed the side of his staff into Chaos’s back with little effect. Jake landed as Rebecca finished slicing the pillar into several disks that she began directing towards Chaos.

Jake landed in a crouch after delivering a mighty swing at Chaos’ back. Chaos turned to swing her massively mighty fist at him, but it passed over his head. He held his staff out in hopes of sweeping her legs out from under her, but the second it connected his momentum was brought to a screeching halt. He cursed and flipped himself backwards to put some distance between himself and the behemoth. Two of the stone disks that Rebecca had summoned crashed into her and actually managed to stagger her for a brief second. As Chaos stumbled back a step, two chains rose from the ground covered in ghostly flames and wrapped around her wrists. They began pulling her down like weights and holding her in place. Two more gunshots rang out from Sally in the distance, but again they seemed to have little effect on her.

“Raise your staff!” Rebecca ordered Jake, “Adelaide, keep your eyes open, girl!”

Jake wasn't sure what Rebecca was planning, but he had to trust her right now. Their options were limited, and she seemed to be making the most efficient plays. He lifted his staff over his head and watched as the stones splintered and rushed towards him. They swirled and surrounded the tip of the staff before taking shape in a long, jagged blade. Rebecca had turned his blunt weapon into a spear for added effect. Meanwhile, more of the disks she'd cut rose into the air near Addy. The young woman took note of the layout and began leaping from on to the other to gain more and more upward momentum. Once she was high in the air, she dove at Chaos with the edge of her broken bar aimed at her neck. It seemed like it could end the fight if it connected.

The chains holding Chaos in place began to waiver and wane. In the distance, the strain of battling against the dampening field and the lingering effects of the drugs were taking a toll on Pam. Her knee buckled as the struggle deepened, and that was the opening that Chaos needed. She ripped one of her hands free and spun around at blinding speed. She reached up and snatched the bar that Addy had been using, and proceeded to hurl the young apprentice into the air. She was sent flying across the room and crashed into the outside of the cage holding her tormented mistress. With one threat dealt with, Chaos returned her focus to Jake who brandished his new spear in nervous anticipation.

“Stabbing and killing her is a mercy, Jake,” Ashley spoke in his head, “Let go of your code for a moment and think this through. This girl has been tortured and mangled beyond reproach and repair. Do not let your views on life and the sacredity of it keep you from doing what needs to be done here.”

He knew that she was right, but that didn't make things any easier. Besides, there was the added risk of getting himself caught if he stabbed her and she simply shrugged it off. Still, he had to do something quick if he was going to have any chance of ending things. Chaos screamed in that distorted and warped tone as she lunged at Jake in an attempt to grab him. He stepped back and began twirling his spear in a defensive manner. He managed to bat away her hulking hands twice before throwing caution to the wind and trying to seize an opening. Jake thrust his spear up and forward, aiming it at Chaos’ chest. The tip pierced through her, but just as he'd feared, she remained utterly unaffected and unfazed by it. She paused and reached for the end of the staff, but Jake had already released it and started to fall further back to try to get away.

Beth muttered several curse words under her breath as she exited the mob of dolls she'd ran through. While her friends had been trying to deal with the mess that was the monster, she'd been trying to find an opening to lend a hand. It had taken her longer than she liked to escape, but she hated what she saw. Chaos was pulling Jake's staff out of her chest as her best friend tried to get away from her. She stopped and raised the revolver again. Her ears were already starting to ring as she channeled the spirit of the Northwind into the firearm. If this was what Pam and Rebecca were dealing with, it was amazing to her that either of them were still standing like they were. She couldn't keep relying on the gun, or the spirit bound to her, while in this damned place. However, she could afford one more hit if it meant possibly saving her friend.

As Beth pulled the trigger, Rebecca, who'd been watching Jake closely, clenched her fist. Chaos had withdrawn the spear from her chest, but as she pulled it out, Rebecca caused the stone point to explode without warning. The shrapnel bombarded and cut Chaos’ face and earned another scream. She stumbled again as another massive beam of energy burst across the room and into her titanic frame.

A tense and somehow deafening silence descended over the room. A thick cloud of smoke blanketed the area where Chaos had been standing. Everybody held their breath in hopes that maybe they’d finally managed to stop the monster that had been hunting and terrorizing them. Jake was still the one closest to the smoke screen. The cloud was broken as the hulking woman cried out and charged forward with her fist reared back. “You have got to be kidding me!” Jake exclaimed, trying to leap backwards and out of the way.

Chaos had lost the remnants of her coat from Beth’s last attack. Her dress was torn and stained, and her eyes were haggard, wide, and wild. She was moving at a far more rapid pace than before. Jake was mid jump when one of her large hands suddenly wrapped around his calf. She pulled him towards her and out of the air before he could try to break the hold. She slammed Jake down into the tiles and shattered part of the floor without letting go. She flung him across the room and sent him crashing into one of the strange stone pillars lining the room.

Rebecca watched with wide eyes and disbelief as the man she loved was flung across the room and sent crashing into the ritualistic pillars. She growled in disgust and clenched her fist. She sent the remaining disks hurtling towards Chaos in hopes of either slicing the behemoth or at least knocking her off balance. However, Chaos’ attention snapped to the incoming projectiles. She caught one as it approached and crushed it with one hand. She managed to catch the second one and send it flying back into another. One of them managed to break through her defenses, but Chaos snatched the other two out of the air. She launched one at Rebecca and the other at Pam. Rebecca raised her hands and brought an energy shield up around her and Pam to stop the incoming projectiles. She felt a trickle of blood running from her nose as she fought through the pain.

“Pamela, get to your feet!” Rebecca shouted, fighting the quaking feeling spreading through her knees, “This is far from over!”

“As if I’m trying to lay down,” Pam grumbled, steadying herself and rolling her eyes.

She grit her teeth and shifted her weight and tried to plot her next move. “Run, you dumbasses!” Sally shouted from behind them, “That thing is pissed and on a rampage!”

Chaos’ attention had turned to Rebecca and Pam who’d stopped to concentrate. The hulking woman was barreling towards them at blinding speed. The ground shook as she raced towards Rebecca who chose to disregard Sally’s orders. She watched Pam out of the corner of her eye as her friend and former pupil tried to put more distance between herself and the incoming monster. Rebecca snarled as she channeled her magic through her arms and let them shift into bulky, hairy werewolf claws. Chaos had her fist reared back as she got close and tried to bring it down on Rebecca who swiped a clawed hand at her incoming fist to knock it away.

Rebecca tried to swing her other claw at Chaos’ throat, but the titanic woman was too fast for her. Her monolithic fist rose in a blindingly fast uppercut that nearly broke Rebecca’s jaw. The powerful blow managed to knock her off of her feet. Chaos’ other hand shot out and snatched part of Rebecca’s clothing and pulled her back down. Rebecca was thrown down onto her back and bounced. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been hit that hard or manhandled in such a way. She grunted and pressed her palm to the floor to open a doorway to get away from the monster before her boot came crashing down on her sternum. She fell through a dark portal and reappeared a few feet away from Chaos.

A series of gunshots rang out from across the room. The bullets did nothing to the mutated and mangled woman aside from angering her further. Sally stood with her gun raised and emptied the clip in the pistol Beth had given her before they entered the theater. Sally shook her head and frowned as Chaos turned towards her, “Fuck me. I have got to be half cooked…”

Jake had managed to get back to his feet as the exchange between Rebecca and Chaos. Sally had garnered the attention of the monster, but he knew that she was limited at best in terms of options. He grunted as he stood up and tried to ignore the pain. “If you’ve got anything up your sleeve, Ash, now would be a good time,” he sighed, “We’re starting to run on fumes here.”

“Is this you relinquishing control?” Ashley asked.

“This is me getting desperate,” Jake shrugged, “My back is killing me, I’m exhausted, and we’re getting our asses handed to us here.”

Beth ran past him towards Pam to catch her before she fell to one knee. He watched as Beth put an arm around her girlfriend and raised her pistol to fire at Chaos before she got to Sally. Jake looked around and tried to figure out a plan alongside his other half. Neither he nor Ashley had any idea where to begin. They were grasping at straws between each of them. He looked up to see Addy clinging to the bars of Kaitlyn’s cage suspended from the ceiling. When had she managed to get up there?

Addy had used the painful exchange between herself and Chaos to propel herself towards her mistress’ cell. She’d been clinging to the bars in hopes of pulling herself up, but her strength wasn’t what it used to be. Finally, she’d managed to climb to the top of the cage as Chaos wreaked havoc below. “Mistress,” she said, banging her fist against the bars, “Mistress, get to your feet, please.”

Kaitlyn had been struggling for the better part of the last year to hold onto her sanity and herself. Murray had tortured her day in and day out, and as a result it left her questioning reality more often than not. Honestly, she hadn’t been certain that Jake and the others were actually there. Despite everything over the last several hours, she still hadn’t been convinced that this wasn’t another hallucination. The voice of her pet and apprentice above her cut through her delusion. 

Kaitlyn shook her head and forced herself to look up. The long red hair, matted and messy, of her apprentice could be seen clearly in the bright lighting. “A-Addy?” she asked in disbelief, “Addy, are you really here?”

It was heartbreaking to hear the voice of a woman that Addy had followed and adored sound so broken and dejected. It was difficult,but she had to push it aside and focus on the task at hand. “Yes, ma’am, I’m here,” she said, “I’m here, mistress. We need you, we need you in this fight.”

“We?” Kaitlyn asked, trying to get to her feet, “Jake and the others…they’re here too?”

“Yes, this is real, mistress,” Addy replied, fishing the knife Beth had given her out and dangling it between the bars, “Please, mistress, we need the conqueror back. I need you.”

Kaitlyn felt something stir within her at the pleading tone in her pet’s voice. Her body was weaker than she could remember, and her mind was far from what she would consider stable. However, she had heard Addy at her weakest and at her best. She could recognize the fear and desperation hidden behind her bravado. She swallowed a dry lump in her throat and looked up at her. She held her hand up to signal her pet to drop the weapon. Addy nodded and did as she was silently instructed. Kaitlyn caught the blade with one hand and looked down at it. It had been over a year since she’d held a weapon, but there was something that felt both familiar and right.

“Addy,” Kaitlyn began, her throat dry and voice cracking from lack of recent use, “Rejoin the others…I’m going to try to free myself. They need you now…be smart…be vigilant…”

Addy stared at her mistress for a few seconds before nodding. She wasn’t overly fond of the idea of joining the losing battle and abandoning her mistress. However, she knew better than to argue. She hadn’t heard her mistress sound anything close to sure and fierce in months. Their odds were still waning, but at least she could say that she managed to bring her mistress back into the fray. She swallowed and kicked off the bars to flip back down towards the ground while her mistress worked to free herself. 

Jake had seen the brief back and forth between Kaitlyn and Addy. Beth had managed to draw Chaos away from Sally in the meantime, but she and Pam were moving slower than usual. As Chaos approached, Pam shoved Beth away and stepped towards Chaos. She ducked down and grimaced as she split into two. Pam stepped around Chaos while Rage passed through her and brought a burning knee up and into her stomach. The blow wasn’t enough to stop her, but it slowed her down. Chaos dropped an elbow down aimed at her neck, but Rage had disappeared immediately after managing to land a successful strike.

Pam felt Rage return to her and made a last ditch effort to stop the monster. She turned to the side and extended her hands to press both palms against Chaos’ side. Her hands burned a bright shade of red and the energy shot out and through Chaos. It circled around her and formed a series of restraints that wrapped around Chaos’ upper body. It wasn’t much, but she’d finally managed to pin the mutated woman in place for a moment. Pam took two stumbling steps back to try to put some distance between her and Chaos.

With Chaos restrained, Beth moved in closer with her revolver at the ready. She pressed the barrel against Chaos’ upper back and pulled the hammer back. She shouted as she channeled the spirit of the Northwind through her and into the firearm. The toll that each shot was taking on her was nearly indescribable, but this was the best chance they had at taking this thing down. However, before she could squeeze the trigger, Chaos broke free from Pam’s restraints. She twisted in a wild way with her right hand outstretched. The sudden shift knocked Beth’s aim off and sent a bolt of energy cutting through the air and crashing into the wall. Beth let out a muffled shriek of shock and terror as Chaos’ massive hand wrapped around her head and lifted her into the air.

Jake was running before he knew what was happening. The second Beth’s shot went off and shattered the brick, his feet were moving. He was still in control of his faculties, but he could feel Ashley working alongside him. Watching Rebecca get manhandled and beaten had rattled him, but seeing his best friend nearly crushed like Margaret was more than he could stand. He and Ashley were moving as one for a change, and his hair was standing on end. He moved at blinding speed and the steel of his staff groaned from how tightly he was gripping it. He was beneath Chaos’ right arm and swinging upward to break her grip on Beth in the time it took the monster to blink.

Jake’s staff connected with the crook of Chaos’ arm with a shocking amount of force. He stepped back and spun the staff back around and struck Chaos’ shoulder. His leg kicked the bottom half of his staff afterwards and he sidestepped and crouched to swing low and sweep her legs. It was enough to cause her to stumble back, and it was at that moment that Addy dropped down and landed on her shoulders. Addy tried to drive the end of her broken bar into the edge of Chaos’ neck. She managed to break the skin and drive it into her back, but Chaos remained on her feet.

Meanwhile, Sally had managed to slip behind the fighting and insanity. She’d seen the downfall happening in realtime, but she didn’t let them stop her. She was trying to find a better vantage point. She didn’t have many bullets left, and she knew that once she was out she was practically useless. She could hold her own in a fight against some of the dolls, but she wouldn’t last two seconds against that monster. She needed to make every shot she had count. With that in mind, she’d been trying to get closer to Jason’s cage.

She’d managed to get past the remaining dolls with relative ease. While many of these things operated and moved without fear or emotion, they seemed keen on keeping their distance from the hulking monster that was rampaging through what was left of their ranks. Thankfully, Chaos had been preoccupied by the others, but sadly they were getting beaten and battered time and again. Sally cursed as she stopped and took aim at the chain holding Jason’s cage. “Jay, brace yourself!” she shouted.

“What the fuck?!” Jason shouted back, looking down at Sally who was aiming at him, “Woah, woah, woah, hold on a sec-!”

Sally had pulled the trigger before he could stop her. He’d been watching the exchanges with clenched fists and a clenched jaw. He’d been desperate to get out and join the others, but Murray had him locked tight. The cage wasn’t the sturdiest around, but it was locked and designed to keep its occupant in place. The bullets from Sally’s gun flew through the air and shattered through the chain holding him and the cage in place. Jason let out a frustrated and surprised cry as the cage came crashing to the ground. A loud bang could be heard over the sound of the fighting as the cage broke into several pieces and Jason landed on his back.

Jason groaned as he got to his feet. Sally ran over as fast as she could to join him and help him to his feet. He watched as Chaos reached up and flung Addy from her shoulders with one hand and delivered a powerful punch to Jake. “Fucking A,” Jason frowned, “We’re up shit creek here, Sal. I don’t know if we can bring this thing down.”

“Yeah, not with what we’ve got on hand,” Sally agreed, “Even with all of us backing each other, all we’re doing is delaying things.”

A creaking noise could be faintly heard above Chaos. Kaitlyn dropped down in front of Chaos before she could chase after either Jake or Addy. Chaos reached up with one hand and pulled the bar from her neck and stumbled. She’d been slowed again, but somehow she was still moving and fighting. Kaitlyn spun the blade in her hand and clenched her fist tightly around the hilt. She threw as hard a punch as she could muster at Chaos’ stomach. It had been over a year since she’d been able to fight or train, but she was determined to channel her natural gifts into every attack she could land. She pulled back the second that her fist connected and ducked as Chaos swung a backfist at Kaitlyn’s head. She countered with a deliberate and powerful uppercut that caused Chaos to take a step back.

“She’s gonna get herself killed,” Jason shook his head, hurrying to join his friend, “Sal, cover me!”

“I got eight shots, dipshit!” Sally scoffed, “What am I supposed to use after that? My good looks?!”

“That might scare her off, so give it a shot!” Jason shouted back.

“Dickbag,” Sally grunted, raising her hand, aiming carefully, and trying to make every shot count.

Kaitlyn had managed to land another couple of successful blows against Chaos. She was one of the few people in their group that could handle a hand-to-hand fight against the behemoth, but her lack of training and conditioning over the last year was taking its toll on her. Already she could feel herself getting winded with every attack and dodge. She'd overestimated herself, but she wasn't going to back down. She'd been still, silent, and broken for over a year now. Her hope had been that Murray's obsession might spare Addy and Sally, although she'd never admit that aloud. However, now that Murray’s personal Frankenstein was on the loose, all bets were off the table.

Kaitlyn’s foot slipped as she leaned back out of range from another of Chaos’ humongous right hooks. The misstep was the opening that the monster had been waiting for. Chaos stepped forward and grabbed Kaitlyn’s throat. She lifted the weakened conqueror into the air and began squeezing the life out of her. A dual symphony of gunshots rang out across the room as Beth and Sally opened fire to try to break Chaos’ attention. Addy had recovered along with Jake and the two of them ran towards Chaos to try to knock their ally free. Jake leapt into the air and brought his staff crashing down across Chaos’s shoulder, but it snapped upon impact. Addy jumped onto Chaos’ back and tried to pull her hand away from Kaitlyn’s throat. Lastly, Jason, desperate and unarmed, threw his weight into his shoulder and tried to tackle the lumbering menace.

The sudden impact was just enough to loosen Chaos’ grip and give Kaitlyn the moment she needed. She pushed away from the massive fist that had been holding her in place, and started to fall. An unseen force swept her up and carried her away. She looked around in confusion and saw a purple mist below her carrying her back towards the pillars in the distance. She landed on her feet beside the last person she expected to see: Goth. The witch was clearly struggling to stand and fight, but she had a look of pure hate and determination on her face. Blood was running down her face and pooling up at the base of her nose. Before she could speak, she heard someone else running towards them. She looked over to see Pam rushing to their side with her hands raised and glowing red. A translucent, crimson bubble rose around them to act as a shield.

“Aren't you supposed to be dead?” Kaitlyn asked Rebecca, who waved her hands and stared at Jake.

“I tried it, but it didn't take,” she replied, extending her left hand and sending a bolt of magic shooting from her hand, “All of us will soon be if this continues. On your feet, girl, there is no room for dead weight at this party.”

“Tch, same bitchy attitude I remember,” Kaitlyn scoffed, forcing herself to her feet, “If you've got an idea, I'm open to it, your royal bitchiness.”

“I confess, I'm at a loss myself,” Pam grimaced, her knees shaking, “It's taking everything I have to keep from collapsing, Rebecca. We can't keep this up.”

Rebecca frowned as she watched her arcane bolt practically disintegrate against the scientifically mutated monster. She hated this. She hated being weak, depending on others, and she hated being limited by the traps in this house of horrors. She clenched her fists and tried to wrack her brain for something they could do. Her eyes slammed shut and she felt an anger and fury that she hadn’t felt in a long time. She could almost hear the demonic call of her former patron calling out to her. If she just had a fraction of that power again she could stop this all with ease. 

Rebecca was pulled from her dark thoughts and longing by a slight vibration against her chest. She opened her eyes and looked down. She’d completely forgotten about the communication stone she’d given Jake and the others. She looked up to see Jake getting thrown across the room and crashing into Beth. Addy was knocked off of Chaos and barely managed to avoid a punishing stomp that would have surely crushed her skull. Pam was fighting to stay on her feet and continue channeling her magic into the barrier she’d erected. There was only one other person that she’d given a stone to.

A sudden tremor shook the building and less than a second later the wall was shattered into pieces. Fire, smoke, and debris poured through a new opening as a cold wind blew through the hole in the wall. A woman wearing black and pink armor, tarnished, chinked, and stained, appeared in the hole. Her long, black hair had a silver streak running through it, and she wore a pink eyepatch. She was flanked by a pair of large drones beside her, and she had a duffel bag slung across slung over her shoulder. The familiar form of Sadie Wilson, the soldier of fortune, stood in the breach with her weapons holstered and a look of smug determination on her face. 

A stunned silence fell over the room. The only sound was from falling debris and crackling fires. Sadie chuckled as she stepped over the rubble and looked around. “Sorry, am I interrupting?” she asked, looking around, “I’m afraid I misplaced my invitation to this little party, but I’ve never been one to let that stop me. Now, who needs a party favor?!”

Chaos canted her head to the side and stared down Sadie as she threw the heavy duffle bag into the room. “Kill them all!” Murray’s voice, shrill and perturbed cut through the silence as Chaos began walking, “I want them all dead, all of them except Jake, Beth, and the witches!”