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Following his commands, Gideon's brothers and sisters opened their ranks, allowing the refugees to enter Sanctuary as the sound of motors grew louder and louder from around the corner.
Meanwhile, Gideon stepped out, walking down the crumbled steps and into the middle of the street.
The roar of machinery finally reached its apex, and Gideon looked over just as a fleet of men on motorcycles poured down the street. In their hands, they cradled rifles and pistols, while those riding in tandem carried ever heavier armaments like rocket and grenade launchers.
Narrowing his eyes at the heavy weaponry, Gideon could practically feel the corruption pouring off the armaments. 'They should not have access to such weapons. Someone is funneling a great deal of firearms into this country.'
Standing still as a statue, Gideon's eyes tracked the fleet of men as they started to encircle him with their bikes while pointing their weapons at and taunting him with crude words and threats. But instead of feeling anger or pity, all Gideon could manage was remorse and regret, 'Forgive them, Gensis, your light has reached them too late, now they are blinded within the darkness.'
It was then that a shrill whistle split through the air, and as one, all the motors died down as their riders came to a stall. "You must be him, the one they call Guardian."
Gideon looked over as one voice rose up, and he found himself staring at a muscular man dressed in an old, tattered military uniform with the sleeves torn off and a red beret pulled down on his head, shaved bald. "That is my title, my duty. Do you have one?"
The man grinned, revealing that he had a single gold tooth, "They call me Goldfang, but don't worry, I don't bite...much."
Goldfang laughed, and the sound was echoed by his followers, who whooped and cheered before quickly falling silent as he started to speak once more, "You have caused me a great deal of trouble, Guardian, stealing my people and killing my men."
"If by people you're referring to those seeking out the mercy of my god, then I will not apologize," Gideon stated boldly with an unwavering voice, "As for your men...I am sorry...but not to you. I can't imagine how much misery and sorrow you have caused this land, destroying families, as you kill the fathers, force the sons into your ranks, and enslave their mothers and sisters."
Goldfang shrugged and leaned against the handlebars of his bike, "Yes, that is true, but I'm afraid those are the times we live in, we do what we must to survive."
Gideon dipped his head in agreement, "Trust me, no one understands such a sentiment more than I, but I can not forgive your actions, agent of corruption. You must be purged, so that the next generation may rise to find the light."
"What nonsense are you babbling on about?" Goldfang scoffed before waving his hand dismissively, "Someone get rid of this fool!"
At Goldfang's command, Gideon watched as one of the tandem riders he had spotted stood up on the back of his bike and leveled his RPG on his shoulder, and aimed the explosive at Gideon's feet.
There was an unintelligible shout before the grenadier pulled the trigger, and with a flash of light, the rocket was sent flying at Gideon, trailing behind a plume of white smoke.
Letting out a sigh, Gideon sent one last prayer before he lazily swung his crook. However, to the normal human eye, the lazy swing was an impossibly fast swipe that caused the golden staff in Gideon's hand to transform into a blur that left behind an afterimage.
That after image then flashed as it sent out a diagonal crescent of golden light that shot forward like a bullet. The seemingly fragile and delicate projection then crashed into the missile, but instead of shattering on contact, it sliced through the metal shell, causing it to explode midflight.
And even then, the golden projectile didn't stop, barely slowing down as it cut through the air before burying itself into the body of the grenadier, who seemingly froze on the spot as a golden line bisected his person.
But when the glow faded, the man suddenly toppled over to either side of the bike he was standing on, revealing that his body had been cut cleanly in half.
A wave of fear and shock ripped through the gang, but before they could fully comprehend what had happened, Gideon suddenly launched himself into their midst. Moving like a phantom, Gideon dashed from rider to rider swinging his crook so fast that it caused the very air to ring as he sent limbs and heads flying.
Flinching at the sight, Goldfang's jaw clenched as fear gripped his heart, but his pride fought back his instinct to flee. Instead, he turned to his men with a furious gaze as he pointed at the butcher in holy robes, "What are you doing? Shoot him, shoot him before he kills us all!"
Jumping into action, the sound of countless charging handles being pulled back rang through the air before the first round of gunfire echoed out.
Glancing to his left, Gideon stared at the wall of lead and frowned. Planting his feet, Gideon held his upright palm near his chest and muttered a quick prayer beneath his breath. A golden force shield materialized into existence around Gideon, blocking and deflecting the bullets with ease.
However, the riders surrounding Gideon weren't so unfortunate, and they let out screams of anguish as their bodies jerked and contorted as bullet after bullet embedded into their flesh. A deep frown marred Gideon's face as he watched the scene, and any remaining mercy in his heart disappeared as he let go of his crook and brought both his palms together, 'Oh benevolent Lord above, forgive this one for his wrath, but in your name I ask for retribution, I ask for your cleansing light.'
Staring at the sight of Gideon praying, Goldfang didn't know whether to run or cry, but before he could make up his mind, a golden light shone down from above, and he looked into the sky to see a golden nova blossom into existence. For a moment, the world went silent, then the nova exploded, sending a massive pillar of divine fury crashing down to the earth.
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Harry looked up as the door to the operation suite opened, and he smiled as Madison walked in. "Morning, I was wondering if you were going to come in today."
Madison stared at him for a long moment before letting out a sigh, "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened, I've never slept through an alarm before, and I have no idea why I was so tired yesterday."
"I do," Harry replied, making Madison freeze, "You do?"
Harry nodded as he stepped away from the cradle, "I was the one who made you fall asleep."
Madison's body tensed as Harry slowly approached her, "Why would you do that?"
"Because I'm a terrible person, Madison," Harry replied with a long sigh before he stopped and scratched the back of his head, "I've been making you run around with all my insane ideas and projects. It's no wonder your body finally threw in the towel and made you actually get a decent night's sleep.
Madison blinked, and after a second, her body relaxed, but she still looked at Harry wearily, "O-oh, that's alright, I knew what I was signing up for when I took this job. And is it really a rest when you have to work twice as hard just to catch up on everything you missed?"
"I'm so glad you brought that up, because I've actually kept up with your workload and written a summary, so you should be able to hop right back on track," Harry replied with a smile as he offered Madison a USB drive, "I just hope I didn't mess up your image of effortless perfection, I have a tendency to write in the passive voice."
Despite herself, Madison couldn't help but smile at Harry's charm as she took the flash drive, "That's more than fine, and thank you for the help, it really does mean a lot."
"Of course, now if you don't have to be anywhere soon, I'd think you should stay and watch, MJ is just about to get out of her second round of augments," Harry prompted as he walked back over to the cradle and peered through the glass top, only to frown.
MJ lay inside perfectly still and face down, kept under by general anesthesia. A surgical cut had been made down her back, exposing her entire spine, which was currently being injected with countless microscopic needles introducing the modified proteins and biosynthetic nuerons.
Joining him, Madison looked down while fiddling with her earrings, "So after this, how long before she's ready for the field?"
"Depending on how well she adapts to her new abilities, I'd say by the end of the month," Harry grinned as he placed his hand on the Cradle, "Then the whole world will get to see her."