I’m just gonna speak my mind here. Karma can be an odd mistress. She rewards the pure and punishes the wicked. Pretty much every human being knows that. But there’s another mistress, probably even more odd than Karma. Ever heard of the Ripple Effect? You know, where one event causes a series of other events to happen? Well, this is kinda like that. Think about it. Just one, innocent action could set a whole plan in motion. A plan could change the way we live. And no, I do not mean that in a positive sense. All sorts of bad things will happen. People questioning the ethics of their government, monsters running loose everywhere, betrayal and deceit common as clouds in the damn sky. And you know what? The list just keeps growing from that point forward. It’s so ridiculous that I can’t even look at the thing anymore. You have no clue what’s going to happen next. Whoever is reading this, be sure to sock the next person who has the gall to say ignorance is bliss.

  My name is Josh Decker. How do I know all this? The answer is simple.

  I know... because I was there.

  On a dirt-covered road in a mountainous area, a red armoured SUV recklessly swerved from one side to another to avoid gunfire from four blue sports cars with purple lightning decals on the sides tailing the driver and his companion.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?! Can’t you drive straight for like ten seconds?!” Burst snapped.

  “Hey, I’d like to see you drive straight while someone’s shooting at you!” Josh shouted back, his gloved hands gripping the wheel like his life depended on it. He did his best to focus on the road, but the rough terrain and the vehicles behind them made it difficult.

  “That’s still no reason for you to drive like you got a cataract or whatever!” Burst yelled.

  Josh growled in irritation while scratching his messy brown hair. “Well, you know what would make me drive better? YOU NOT YELLING IN MY EAR EVERY FIVE SECONDS!”

  As the gunfire behind them increased, Burst pulled out a large revolver with a long barrel from his holster, leaned out of the window and aimed at the car that led the others. He fired a few rounds at the windshield, but they bounced off, much to his frustration. When he saw the passenger of the vehicle lean out with his arm extended, he pulled himself back in.

  “Remind me again why you talked me into stealing military-grade weapons from your ex-girlfriend?” he asked.

  “Let me get one-- no, let me get two things clear,” Josh replied in an irritated tone. “First, those military-grade weapons we ‘stole’ were already stolen from the get-go, so we’re stealing them back and returning them to their rightful owners.”

  “After we get paid for doing so,” Burst replied.

  Josh sighed. “Yes, after we get paid for doing so. Secondly, we’re not stealing from my ex-girlfriend. We’re stealing from a group of mercenaries who have been evading law enforcement for over a year.”

  “A group of mercenaries who your ex is affiliated with,” Burst added with a knowing grin.

  Josh stared at his friend with disdain. “Why are you so interested in my ex-girlfriend? You two hardly know each other.”

  “Maybe, but have you seen her lately?” Burst chuckled. “With a body like that, you’d be crazy to cut ties with her. Seriously, you have no artistic vision what-so-freaking-ever.”

  Josh clenched his teeth at that remark. “Artistic vision? You are joking, right? Her body may be a work of art, but her mind is basically a whirlwind of madness.”

  “Alright then,” Burst replied, shrugging his shoulders. “What would you call it then?”

  “I have a few words for it, but I don’t think you’d wanna hear ‘em,” Josh said smugly. “It might damage whatever fantasies you have about my ex.”

  Burst was about to retort, but was interrupted by radio static.

  “Josh! Burst!” a feminine voice on the radio called out. “Would either of you be so kind as to explain what in the name of Vina is going on down there?”

  Josh used his right hand to pick up the walkie-talkie hanging near the radio.

  “You got us at a bad time, Nina, we’re kinda in trouble here,” “We took some explosives from an old military compound, and now these damn trigger-happy mercs are trying to shoot us up.”

  “Yeah, I can see it from here,” Nina said irritably. “What exactly went wrong there? You were supposed to get into the compound, find the explosives and get out of there without raising any alarms. This is my question: how did you raise the freakin’ alarm?”

  “Yeah, about that…” Josh grew a devious grin. “How ‘bout I let Burst explain how we set off the alarm in the compound?”

  Burst shot a look of indignation and betrayal at Josh. “You backstabbing son of a--”

  “Yeah, Burst,” Nina interrupted. “Why don’t you kindly explain how the alarm was set off?”

  Burst awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.

  “Well, here’s what happened…”

  Two girls were standing on a large rock structure, watching the car chase from 50 meters away. Nina was speaking into a headset while Elaine was watching the car chase through a pair of binoculars.

  “Okay, that’s completely understandable,” Nina said as she adjusted her light gray-rimmed glasses. “Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you. This kind of mistake happens to anyone with a total disregard for clear, concise instructions. What’s that? I’m being sarcastic? Well, I beg to differ, because if I was being sarcastic, I would tell you that I had a crush on you and that you are the most handsome boy on this planet.”

  She released a groan of frustration as she ended the transmission and clicked her tongue in annoyance. “I don’t believe that moron. How did he forget that there was a laser tripwire near the back entrance?”

  “I wouldn’t fault him for that,” Elaine replied, stretching her toned arms above her head.

  “What’s not to fault him about, Elaine?” Nina said irritably. “He should’ve seen that damn tripwire.”

  “They didn’t pay enough attention to their surroundings,” Elaine said with a shrug. “What more can I say?”

  Nina stared at her blankly, then let her skinny arms slump down, sighing in resignation.

  “Right, well, I think they could use some help,” Elaine said.

  “Come on,” Nina whined, putting her hands together in a pleading manner. “Can’t we let them suffer a bit longer?”

  Elaine shook her head. “Those explosives they’re carrying are extremely volatile. If even one stray round should hit them, well… let’s just say the Razor Wings are going to enjoy some barbeque later on.”

  Nina shuddered. “That’s disgusting, but I see your point. We should get down there and help them.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Elaine chuckled.

  The two girls jumped down from the rock formation and landed on the ground flawlessly next to a pair of motorbikes. Hopping onto the bikes, they started up the engines and rode off to their companions’ location to aid them.

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  “You know, I just realized something,” Josh said as he continued driving.

  “What’s that?” Burst asked while popping a mint in his mouth. “Is it the fact that we never get to pick up any chicks on these types of jobs?”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly it. We don’t get enough chicks doing this crap,” Josh replied sarcastically.

  “Really?” Burst asked.

  “Of course not,” Josh snapped. “I just remembered that the explosives we nabbed are very sensitive to gunfire.”

  Burst blinked in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean, if those maniacs hit the explosives by accident, we’ll be food for the Razor Wings when they blow up!” Josh shouted.

  “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Burst groaned as he picked up the walkie-talkie. “Hey, Nina, did you know that the bombs we just stole can easily be blown up if they’re shot at? I would prefer not to be eaten by those freaky-ass birds with plumage that looks like it belongs in the damn kitchen.”

  “Yeah, I just found out from Elaine. Honestly, she should’ve told us sooner about those things,” Nina said.

  “I was telling you about the bombs at our meeting! You were asleep the whole time when I explained the functions of the explosives!” Elaine barked.

  Nina let out an unamused scoff on the other line. “You were going on for at least an hour on your ‘explanation’, El. To tell the truth, It felt more like a lecture.”

  “Lecture!?” Elaine whined. “How could you say that?! I put a lot of work into that–”

  “Girls, in case you’ve already forgotten, we are at risk of being blown up by the trigger-happy maniacs behind us should a stray bullet hit the payload. Could you settle your little spat later and get your bikes over here?” Josh pleaded.

  “Okay, since you asked nicely, we’ll be at your current position ASAP, so hold tight,” Nina said. “Oh, and one more thing, Josh.”

  “What?” Josh replied.

  “Try to keep Liz in the dark about this incident, alright? We’re on our final warning here, and the last person I want to see when we get busted is that stuck-up, know-it-all–”

  “Okay, I’ll try,” Josh interrupted. “But you of all people should know how persistent that girl can be.”

  “Gotcha, dude. We’ll get your position shortly. Over and out.”

  “Over and out.” Josh sighed and slammed his left hand on the dashboard. “She just had to bring up her name. Why couldn’t she just spare me the torture?”

  “Dude, come on, you make it sound like she’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Burst said.

  “Oh, far from it, dude,” Josh disagreed. “If anything, she’s a damn demon in sheep’s clothing. She took on an entire squad of bandits without breaking a sweat.”

  “Is it that or the fact that she’s still fuming over you resigning from the Administration just to be a Seeker?” Burst asked.

  Josh grit his teeth. “Whatever the reason, I do not want to see that she-devil for as long as I live.”

  “You do realize that she was on the front cover of Girls & Guns one time, right?” Burst asked again. “That magazine is famous for showing how strong and reliable women on Veriko are? It might be hard to believe, but there are people who worship your sister like a freakin’ queen.”

  Josh gripped the wheel tightly, not wanting the conversation to drag on any further.

  “Just get your gun out and get those mercs off our tail before I throw you out of the damn car,” he growled.

  Not wanting to provoke his ally any further, Burst unhooked his seat belt, picked up an orange bolt action rifle from the backseat and poked his head out the sunroof. He took aim at the pursuing vehicle at the front.

  "Time to get rid of some pests,” Burst muttered.

  He fired at the rear tire of the car, which caused it to swerve off the road. He then fired at the windshield of the second car, making the driver panic and causing him to crash into a large rock.

  The other two drivers caught on to his attack and started to move in a slalom-like motion to avoid more gunfire. It proved effective as Burst was unable to hit either of them. And then, as he pulled the trigger once more, he heard a sound he never wanted to hear.

  The sound of an empty rifle clicking.

  “Uh… Josh, I’m out,” Burst said nervously.

  “What?” Josh asked.

  “I’m out of rounds, man,” he replied, returning to his seat. “Do we have any more in the back?”

  Josh sighed. “No, we used up the spares when we were shooting our way out of the compound, remember?”

  Burst rubbed the back of his head sheepishly hearing that. “Right… I forgot.”

  Josh let out an aggravated groan. “How could you forget about nearly getting killed just to get some explosives?”

  Burst chuckled awkwardly. “Well…”

  “Don’t tell me,” Josh sighed. “You were too busy checking out my ex-girlfriend.”

  “I wasn’t checking out, I was observing,” Burst defended.

  Josh crossed his arms and gave him a skeptical look. “Oh, really? Then tell me what you were observing.”

  Burst scratched his head as he racked his brain for an explanation. It took a while, but he eventually came up with one.

  “Well, there was her radiant hair flowing as she was running after us.”

  “Uh-huh,” Josh said in a neutral tone.

  “Also, her eyes were blazing with passion,” Burst added.

  “I think that was just her hatred of me stealing her bombs,” Josh replied.

  Burst continued to think of one last thing he was observing. “Finally, when she was firing her gatling gun at us, her face lit up with such joy.”

  “Yeah, I think that was her hoping to shoot us into oblivion,” Josh said. “But since I know you like the back of my hand, you were only looking at one thing in particular.”

  “What are you talking about, dude?” Burst said. “I haven’t been looking in that particular area.”

  “Don’t try to deny it,” Josh retorted in an accusing tone. “That’s the only reason why you’re so into my ex-girlfriend.”

  “Hey, it’s not just that, alright?” Burst snapped defensively. “There’s still her radiant hair, her sparkling eyes and those huge--”

  Josh narrowed his eyes in annoyance. “Dude, quit talking before I shoot you.”

  Nina and Elaine sped down the dirt road on their motorcycles, slowly catching up to the cars that were pursuing their comrades.

  “It looks like we’re getting close,” Elaine stated plainly.

  “Yeah, I noticed, seeing how we have a good view of the damn things,” Nina responded.

  They soon got close enough to the cars. Elaine reached over her shoulder and pulled out a shotgun from the holster on her back.

  “Now that they are within firing range, why don’t we put them out of their misery?” she said in a sweet tone betrayed her intent.

  “Damn, girl,” Nina said as she removed her pistol from her side holster. “You can be pretty dark at some point.”

  Elaine grinned. “I know. It’s one of my many talents.”

  They drove up to the vehicles and began to shoot at them. Nina fired at the windows while Elaine fired at the tires. However, the cars weren’t easy to hit, given how erratically they were driving.

  “I don’t think they’re making it easy for us,” Nina said as she continued firing.

  “Well, from the look of it, two of their allies have been neutralized and they are trying hard not to follow in their footsteps,” Elaine replied.

  “In that case, how are we going to stop those jokers?” Nina asked

  Elaine reached into the pouch on her leg and pulled out a round, gray object with orange markings. Upon seeing it, Nina grew a sly grin on her face.

  “An anti-magic bomb, huh? That thing of beauty can shut down mana-powered systems for 30 seconds if I’m not mistaken.”

  “It’s kind of a long shot,” Elaine sheepishly admitted.

  “What do you mean?” Nina asked.

  “I mean, this is the only one I have left.”

  Nina groaned in frustration hearing that. “Well, you better make it count, or--”

  “Yes, yes, I know,” Elaine interrupted. “Explosion, charred remains, Razor Wing food, I get the picture. Now shut up and let me concentrate.”

  Nina scoffed. “Fine.”

  Elaine stared intently at the cars behind the armored vehicle her friends were driving in, preparing to throw the device at one of them. She only had one chance of getting the pursuers off her companions’ back, and she, as well as the rest of her group, wanted to keep their ill-gotten cargo.

  “Three… two… one!”

  Using all the strength in her arm, Elaine threw the bomb at the hood of the car. Within a second and a half, the bomb released a bright blue pulse that caused the vehicle to malfunction and crash into the other car, making them both swerve off the road.

  The armored car began to slow down and eventually stop, and Elaine and Nina did the same with their motorbikes. Josh and Burst got out of the car and walked toward the back of it.

  “Man, these bombs had better be worth all the trouble,” Josh muttered. “There’s a chance those bozos that were pursuing us will get out of the cars and try to climb up the cliff to shoot us. Assuming their injuries aren’t too severe.”

  Opening the back door of the car, he took out a medium-sized metallic box that had a black circle on it.

  “A magic lock,” Nina stated as she and Elaine walked toward the boys. “They really didn’t want anyone getting their mitts on it.”

  “Whatever,” Burst said impatiently. “Let’s just unlock this thing and deliver the goods so we can--”

  Before Burst could finish his sentence, a large orange airship flew towards the group. It slowed down and hovered above them, and multiple figures wearing gray and purple armour jumped from the rear door, armed with rifles. As their boots hit the ground, they pointed their weapons towards the group.

  “Let me guess,” Elaine deadpanned while raising her hands. “You were going to say, ‘before the Administration gets here,’ right?”

  “Yeah,” Burst replied in an annoyed tone as he did the same. “I was.”