Iter Per Astra: Volume 2 - Fearless Commando

Astral 15 - Chasers Destroyed

"Where do we go now?" Rosalina asked.

"Melody we will have to take old Governor Willy's route," Joseph said.

"Are you sure?"

"What choice do we have, if either of us got out of the vehicle to unlock the gate our pursuers would catch up to us."

"Is the gate metal by chance?" Rosalina asked.

"If I remember correctly; it was," Joseph answered.

"Just keep going, I'll open it before we get there."

"Are you sure you can do it?" Melody asked. "If you don't open it in time we will just crash and lose this vehicle."

"I can do it."

"Missile!" Joseph shouted again.

Rosalina then turned her head backward to see the incoming missile. She aimed her hand towards it and closed her fist. The propulsion fire of the missile stopped and fell to the ground without blowing up. She then moved her hand to her head, which Joseph noticed.

"Don't exert yourself!"

"Don't worry about me, just keep going." Rosalina nodded in response. "These things keep happening more frequently." Rosalina thought to herself. "I hope it doesn't get any worse."

"Brake!" Joseph shouted as another missile just barely hit the front of the jeep.

"We are approaching the gate to Willy's route," Melody called. "Rosalina. Are you sure you can do what you said you would?"

"I am pretty sure I can."

"We'll only get one chance at this," Joseph said from the back, firing back at the enemy jeeps. "Make sure to make it count."

After Joseph's words, Rosalina remained fixated on the metal gate that blocked an old dirt road that headed deep into the woods. Beside the gate, was reinforced metal fencing that also had an exposed electrical current running over the top, Rosalina could feel the current flowing through them.

"Begin opening that gate, Rosalina," Melody said. "Like, right now!"

Rosalina then extended her hand forward, the large metal gate started to shake a little and slowly opened.

"Is it open?" Rosalina asked as she had closed her eyes.

"It is," Melody answered. "Joseph grab on! Full speed ahead."

Just as Melody stepped harder on the accelerator, Joseph kneeled on the bed of the jeep and held on tight between the metal roll cage of the jeep and the gun emplacement.

Melody continued accelerating until the speedometer read over 100 miles per hour, which gave them a sizeable lead from the pursuing jeeps.

"We're clear," Melody said as the jeep passed through the gate, and she began to slow down.

"Thank you," Rosalina said. Then she closed her fist and brought it to her chest.

Joseph looked at the gate and saw it close at a speed that was only possible by using high-power electrical motors or a small rocket; when the gate reached the closed position it didn't even bounce in its place. It's as if it had been locked in place.

The first enemy jeep started to accelerate to attempt to break through the closed gate as it had a frontal covering, and considering there was a second jeep behind them they could sacrifice one of the jeeps.

But instead of breaking the gate, the enemy jeep seemed as if it had just hit a reinforced brick wall. The vehicle flew through the air, rolling over and over until it hit the ground and continued rolling off to the side rendering the vehicle unusable in its state.

"Rosalina, did you do that?" Joseph asked.

"I'm holding the gate in place," Rosalina said strained.

Joseph then looked back hoping to see the second jeep crash and burn, but it did something different.

The jeep fired a missile at the gate and destroyed it, opening a path for the jeep to pass through.

"The missile carrier passed through the gate!" He shouted.

"I'll handle it," Rosalina said. "Stop the vehicle."

"Stop the vehicle?" Melody asked.

"Stop the vehicle... now!" Rosalina stated.

"I am not stopping," Melody answered. "Joseph, continue firing on the missile carrier."

Rosalina clicked her tongue as she closed her fist.

Melody suddenly felt that their jeep was losing forward momentum. She stepped harder on the accelerator, but the vehicle kept slowing down until it stalled, and the vehicle came to a complete stop.

Rosalina stepped off and slowly walked away from the jeep.

"What is she doing?" Melody asked.

"She's going to do the same thing," Joseph answered scared.

"What did she do?"

But before Melody finished Joseph had gotten down and headed towards Rosalina.

"Rosalina, what are you planning on doing?" Joseph said as he grabbed her shoulder.

Rosalina quickly shrugged the hand from her shoulder, turned around, and looked him in the eye.

Joseph was surprised as he saw her eyes had changed color again to red.

"Don't stand in my way." She said in a very unfriendly voice, completely different from her usual self.

"Rosalina... What's gotten into you?"

Rosalina then extended her hand towards the enemy jeep and the jeep started to float into the air. She rolled the jeep upside down causing both of the soldiers on it to fall down.

"Do not try to aim your weapons at me!" Rosalina said as she closed her fist and the jeep started to get crushed above the enemy heads. "Return back to whatever hole you came out of, and I will spare you."

The enemies quickly got up and ran away.

Rosalina continued crushing the jeep until it crushed the engine and it exploded.

"Rosalina get down!" Joseph said as he pushed Rosalina to the ground to avoid being hit by any debris.

"Get off me you imbecile!" Rosalina said as she pushed Joseph away.

"Rosalina's what is wrong with you?" Joseph asked.

Rosalina's eyes had changed color from the normal blue to a bright red, the same as she had earlier.

"Rosalina, your eyes are red."

"Who are you?" Rosalina asked.

"What? M- My name is Joseph... Joseph Terix... I'm trying to take you home."

"Home?" She asked. "I don't remember asking you to take me home?"

"What? What is happening to you."

Then, several chunks of metal from the destroyed jeep hovered beside her.

"To me, it seems that you are trying to kidnap me."

"No, I am not kidnapping you, Rosalina, try to remember!"

"I will not allow this to continue, it's time to end this."

"Melody!" Joseph shouted.

Melody quickly appeared behind Rosalina, knocked her out, and pulled away with her as the metal chunks fell to the ground.

"Do you understand what happened just now?" Joseph asked Melody.

"You said her eyes changed color..." Melody asked. "Did she display this type of personality change before?"

"She did always freak out when I pointed out that her eyes changed color." He said recalling earlier when she freaked out.

"Let's head to town, for now... if Rosalina wakes up like that again, I don't know what I will do."