The Mad Killers, a Greyhound X Treasury

 

 February 9, 2035 

 

Things have changed since the second year of Greyhound’s service, here in Trenton, New Jersey. Greyhound has found a Greyhound Army, each soldier a Katarian issued incarnation of the first Greyhound. The Red Hazel gang is still lurking around the city and Greyhound’s troops are searching for the remaining members of the association. Greyhound, sixteen year-old David Bloodhound, and his girlfriend have broken up with him, and was shot later. David now stays in his father’s armory, with the troops.

…

David was a skinny sixteen year-old, who had taken the mantle of Greyhound at the age of fourteen, his father’s mantle. David’s phone began to ring. He picked it up and answered. He heard the rough voice of Ayn, the Lieutenant of the Greyhound soldiers.

“David” he answered, “my troops are under attack by the Red Hazel gang.”

“I’m on my way.” replied David.

David turned to a glass tube, containing a black and silver unitard. It was the Greyhound X suit. He then walked up to the tube and opened the casing. David pulled out the strange Greyhound attire. He pulled the suit on to his body. The purple eyes on the suit lit up, Greyhound checked the wings, their white glow filling him with an uplifting feeling. Greyhound was soon outside, he then conjured the wings and take off.

 

David checked his com-link, Ayn was helping some wounded soldiers. One of them was bleeding out and then fell to the ground dead. Ayn had jumped on to a gang member and planted the guy’s head into the wall, the guy’s helmet shattered as he fell down. David was soaring above, when a bullet knocked his wing tip and caused him to fall out of the sky.

 

Greyhound crashed straight into a wall, the foundation cracking. As David landed on the concrete ground, Ayn walked toward him with a handful of soldiers.

“Good to see you, Lieutenant.” Greyhound muttered.

To David’s surprise, the soldiers pinned him to the ground. Ayn took off his mask and called the Red Hazel supporters. Within a minute, David has surrounded by Red Hazel gang members and the Greyhound troops. Greyhound hit the transport button and vanished.

…

A blast of blue light conjured Greyhound into the metal walled outpost. The Greyhound soldiers all stood, waiting for further instruction. David took off his mask and called to his soldiers “Listen up! Ayn was a member of the Red Hazel gang and so was the Eclipse Squad. We need to leave the outpost!”

A soldier stood and spoke, “We can’t give them a base to have. Why don’t we destroy it instead.“

David agreed, he did want to leave, but he didn't want the Red Hazels to have a base. He prepped the cargo shuttles and his troops loaded up the barracks. All soldiers escaped on board the shuttles. But on the ground of the old base, was one soldier; Cyrus.

…

Cyrus ran along the base’s rails one last time, as the footsteps of the Red Hazel gang entered the metal door. Ayn looked around the control room, then spotted Cyrus. Ayn pointed at Cyrus and told his men to fire. Bullets flew across the control panels and the walls as Cyrus ducked for cover. He then jumped across to another panel and threw a large glass shard towards the shooters. It slammed into the knee of a sniper-man, who fell over, clutching his knee and firing. His pistol fell out of his pocket. Cyrus threw a magnetic cord over and tugged to retrieve the shooter’s secondary weapon. Cyrus then ran to the reactor, gun in hand. As the Gang members followed, Cyrus shot back, hitting their chests and arms. Cyrus aimed his gun at a detonator, but was pinned by a knife to the reactor. The knife was embedded in his chest. Ayn walked over to Cyrus and socked him in the nose, Cyrus’ eyes closed. Ayn and his men started walking toward the door, when Cyrus groaned.

“I…I won't let you win.“ Cyrus spat,  as he tilted his arm to face the bomb and shot the explosive, causing the Greyhound base to perish.

…

On the cargo shuttle, Greyhound and his crew are looking at their communicators, trying to contact Cyrus.

“Cyrus? Cyrus?! Are you there? Talk to us!!“

It was too late. Greyhound checked the cameras at the base, all were destroyed. Greyhound split up his troops, one squad would go to his father's base to start a world-wide alert to any of his father's supporters, another squad would go to Alyse, Katar to supply new troops. Greyhound and six of his best men would go to San Jose, California to wait for new soldiers. The troops split up after a while. David ended up taking two of his best men to California. The two men were Rys and Terry, both a part of the stealth assault team. They found a place in San Jose behind an old Burger King. They made small Katarian base in the back. It was a small five room base with a school seven blocks away. David turned to his men and asked them “Why did you two volunteer to join me on this mission?“

Rys cleared his throat “Cyrus was our friend, so this mission is personal to us. He would have been the third one here.“

David, Terry, and Rys slept that night, not knowing that their journey had just begun.

 

The morning arrived quickly, and David woke up to the two men being gone from the base. They left a note for David on the hatch. David got dressed and left the base. He walked into a Starbucks, he justed to wake up with a taste of home. He ordered a tall white mocha and a classic coffee cake. The server looked at him with concern. She was twenty, blonde, and had bright teal eyes. She sat beside David and asked him “Are you ok, kid?“

David looked at her and nodded “Yeah, I’m fine. My girlfriend was just shot and I’ve been an orphan for almost three years. But, hey, I run from it and I am alive.“

She looked at him closely “Yeah. You are not from California.“

“I'm from New Jersey.“ David replied.

“I'm Kelly“ the woman said.

“David“ he responded.

She handed him a receipt, he handed her $12.93 and left.

…

David returned to his base and read the receipt. His vision blurred and he quickly grabbed his father's journal and turned to page fifty-six.

Greyhound's Insite; 'I have learned that I can give vision to others so they see the real meaning behind reading. Maybe I will pass this ability on to someone else'

David looked back at the check. Some letters turned crimson and spelled out;

The Red Hazel gang knows you're here. Their spies serve well And they are on the hunt

David fell back, amazed at what his father had given him. In the past, David had considered it a curse, like his father had given him severe headaches in his will. His father had left him a way to be safe, to know of hidden messages in writing. David ran to his suit and put it on.

…

Within seconds, Greyhound X was out and about in San Jose. Greyhound read the billboards, newspapers and bus ads. He knew to write down what he found.

 

“We will kill the two soldiers“ “Ayn is still alive“ “You will die the same way Cyrus did“ “Slowly“ “and in a bomb explosion“

These messages didn't scare David, because he expected less.

…

After three days, the hatch to David’s base opened, Rys and Terry removing their equipment stood there. David ran over to greet them when Rys fell to the floor.

“Rys, are you okay?” David cried.

Rys took off his mask to show a 9 inch cut across his face. David lifted his soldier on to a table to examine the scar.

“What happened to him, Terry” David asked.

“We went to one of your father’s outposts and we got attacked by a destroyer.” said Terry, grimly “We think your father might still be alive.”

David assigned Terry a mission to go to Hawaii’s volcano and find the shard of General Katar’s eye. Terry left in the morning.

…

Terry shortly arrived in Hilo, Hawaii and started his way towards the volcano. When he reached the edge, he jumped down to find a metal door, which he entered. The room had the same metal walls as the Greyhound base. There was a glass orb floating in the center of the room. Terry ran over to grab the orb, but as he touched the sphere, he fell to the ground, his vision blurred.

…

Terry woke up surrounded by destroyed metal walls and sputtering lights. He stood up, his legs numb from touching the orb. He quickly ducked down as Red Hazel members walked by, guns all aimed towards the heavy metal double-doors. The doors blew open and the Red Hazels fired. Terry saw a few Greyhound soldiers jumping over the shooters, slicing their guns with their wings and throwing guys into the walls. Ayn walked in and killed every Greyhound that tried to stop him. The soldiers dropped to the ground, dead where they stood. Ayn looked at where Terry was.

“I know you’re there.” Ayn smirked “Yeah, you’re in Florida, kid. And we’re coming for you next.”

Terry opened his eyes and woke up in the chamber. He later returned to California.

…

Terry returned in four hours. David was waiting. Terry picked up a pistol and took off his mask. David pulled the suit on his body.

☀He advanced toward David, aiming the gun at David's head. David activated the Greyhound X suit, Terry stepped back. Terry's finger pulled against the smooth metal trigger. The bullet flew out, the gun releasing the sickening crack sound as it fired. Greyhound dove to the right as a single round plunged into the shelter walls, breaking metal.A figure entered the shelter, wearing a similar gray and black suit, but different. The gray in his suit was lighter and his suit had minor slashes on the chest. One of the white lens of his mask were missing, exposing his dark hazel eye. Suddenly, the metal door flew and smacked Terry, causing him to black out. Ayn stepped into the room, carrying a Katarian battle-rifle. His gaze followed the similar looking Greyhound. His face bore a wicked smile as he said.

“Hello, Greyson...”