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TheLoneWolf and MikeAngora Present
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The Last Chapter in this arc
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CHAPTER 9
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THOSE WHO GO ASTRAY
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I returned to the Antartica in an uneventful journey. All the while, I was thinking of the sacrifice that I had helped in. I was as much to blame as Decker was. The bullet was fired from my weapon.
No... It wasn't my fault...
Just before firing, I had looked into those beautiful liquid eyes. I had seen the sorrow in them... But then I saw hope too... In an image of myself...
She had willed it. She had told me to fire.
"We can still escape" I had told her "Come with me"
But all she did was slump into her chair, and ordered me to shoot her.
She had made a stern determined face.
"Shoot me, Edward"
It had been more than half a lifetime before, when I had been addressed with that name. Somehow, I felt a sudden insecurity inside of me. Somewhat of a void... And she had somehow used it.
My eyes had flown wide open. She was telling me to shoot her.
After my inactivity, and my going back a few steps (seriously, taken
aback), she had got a hold on my arm and pulled me back.
"Shoot me" she said again.
And her eyes said it all.
She meant it.
"There is no need" I had muttered.
"I do not want to live in hiding. But if Decker gets ahold of me, the hope of peace is lost forever" she had assured me "I must go. And you must, too. The difference is just that we are going to different places..."
She had started to cry. But then the look returned.
"SHOOT ME!"
"Alright..."
Then she had become happy.
"Thank you"
"Atleast do one thing before you murder me" she jested "Let me see your face"
I was in no mood to argue.
So I took my mask off.
And smiled.
"Is it that bad?" I asked her.
"No! Not at all! My, Taylor! Why do you keep that hidden?" she asked as I fastened it back on.
"I like it this way" I told her.
"You are a very bad woman" I jested back "To make a man look at that face, and pull a trigger too"
"Well" she answered "look away"
"I can't. If I'm going to kill you, I'd better bear it too."
"As you wish"
Her grip tightened.
*BANG*
************************
"Decker @#$! it all up" I told Helios later about my adventure.
"Decker always does that" he seconded me.
I took another sip from the cup of coffee.
"You decrypting that ROM?" I asked him.
"Yeah" came the reply "Though that gal outdid it this time"
"I helped her"
Helios looked at me strangely and rose from his chair.
"You do it then!" he asked me.
I simply entered about 6
lines of code, and it was done.
"Its a chest of treasure" Helios exclaimed.
"Is it?"
"Yes!"
"Glad you like it"
"I'm going to the council after your OP. Make sure you emerge as an Ascender!"
"I'm not interested. But we will do that"
"C'mon Taylor! You're the most seasoned veteran we have!"
"Am I? There are many people who deserve it a heck lot more than me. People who have taken manyfolds the damage to the armour than my shields have ever grazed"
"Exactly! Getting out of fights alive and kicking! Thats what makes you fit to be an Ascender!"
"Shut u..."
I was cut by the unannounced entry of a young captain.
"What's it, laddy?" Helios asked
"Admiral Decker is here, Sir" he pointed at me "And he's asking for him"
************************
"I'm leaving for Operation Lone Wolf Walking" I addressed my Reaper squad.
There was a hush.
"Requesting permissions to leave the hall, sir" one of them saluted me. Others soon followed.
"Where do you guys wanna go?" I asked them.
"Packing?" the answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
And then understanding came.
"Negative, Reapers. You are to stay here. Admiral Helios has hit upon something that Supreme Admiral Anderson won't like. And you are to stay here till I return. To guard."
"Take 5!" Garry rumbled "It would assure us that you are in the right hands, sir!"
I was smiling broadly beneath my mask. Thats what family is like, I reflected.
"Alright! Five! Decide till dawn! Then we are leaving! Now do whatever you want. Just don't go hunting some heat between the legs! Or you might find me breaking bananas in two!"
They all erupt laughing.
"Alright! Only the willing ones!" I told them before leaving.
Five were to go with me, eh? To reap what? Souls? But it was great to have friendly faces around. And most of all, familiar friendly faces. With whom, you could laugh, jest, and cry.
************************
"Damn straight! My blind grandma could've done this mission with both hands tied behind her back!" smirked Tychus- a huge bald and clean shaven man. He held a fat cigar in one hand and a VAT 69 whiskey glass in the other.
We were sitting down in the CSC Terra, while Decker debriefed the marines.
Michael 'Slicer' Anderson, a tall bearded man and the son of the The Boss (Anderson Sr.) shared the place with us. We started chuckling at our comrade's overconfidence.
"Ha! I can trust your grandma to do it but YOU on the other hand? I'll bet you'll be the first one screaming like a little girl for air support!" laughed Michael.
"Ah, hell yeah Slicer-man! Like he did last time in that raid on the rogue fleet outpost." I jested, while sipping on my Vat 69. It wasn't coffee. But it was awesome.
"Shut the @#$! up! I'll put you both assholes a wager. If don't call for air-support you're giving me 10,000 Rins each." a visibly annoyed Tychus smirked back.
"And if you do?" I teased him further.
"If he does, my dear Wolf, he's not drinking any alcohol for five weeks. Ain't I right Candy-man?"
Tychus was about to let loose a volley of mean words but the door behind them suddenly opened. We turned around and saluted as Admiral Decker and Commodore Watson walked in. The former was an asshole but the latter was an honest officer. I liked Watson.
"At easy gentlemen. Sit down" Decker said and they both sat down on large chairs behind a black office table.
"This is not going to be a cakewalk gentlemen. This shipyard is heavily defended as is the planet. I'm entrusting the lives of these men to your hands and while I am fully aware that most will not return, I do not want to mourn heroes." Decker said firmly while staring into each man's eyes individually. So it WAS another try? Akira had hinted it. Decker was after her scientists now.
"Slicer, since you're leading the spatial and aerial assault, your men will be going in first. Just keep the defenders busy enough for the Aurochs to fly in. The ship will provide as much support as possible but we're mainly gonna concentrate fire on the Deimos. You'll be free to enter the planet's atmosphere once the space defenders are down and assist in ground support. Are we clear?" said Commodore Fredrick Watson in a highly accented Scottish English.
"Yes sir. We'll do our best." Michael replied solemnly.
"Candy-man and Wolf, you're leading the ground assault teams so you'll face the brunt of it. The scientists are holed up in a large lab complex marked on position Delta and they are mission critical. You must recover the top scientists alive at all costs so do NOT use any explosives within the lab complex. Wolf will attack from East of the compound and take out the complex defenses while Candy-man will serve as Wolf's Bravo and secure the scientists. The Ares will be armed with heavy tanks and artillery. Unfortunately we don't have that available yet but you can request for air support from any of Mike's Britannias. Are we clear?"
"Tanks chief? Looks like Tychus here is gonna be on dry days now. Ha ha ha!" I laughed.
"Tychus if you can pull this off I'll make sure these two serve as your personal butlers while you're dry. Dismissed gentlemen." Commodore Watson laughed and we rushed out of the room and into the hangar.
"Damn straight! I'll decorate father's room with Ares scientists!" Tychus' booming voice declared.
I ran after Tychus into the lead Aurochs transport moments before a large jet powered elevator lifted it to the flight deck.
"You got a @#$! to chew before this or not?" I asked Tychus, as he slid into his heavy vanguard armour. I didn't need one.
"You bet! The bitch was a soft one though! Almost squashed by the time I was done!"
"Well, you can't blame her, can you?" I laughed as Tychus got ready.
"I'm leaving for my squad, Taylor-boy!" He told me and rushed off in a pod to his own transport.
I got on the comm.
"Heads up, Reapers. And the Lxnx Squad too" I told my men.
Two XM900s crashed into the generators, and the magnetospheric shields covering the desertic planet faded away. The shipyard was many kilometers in length and breadth. Even the Terra seemed a dwarf when compared to it. It slowly orbited the planet.
"Okay Mikey... Now its our turn!" Tychus and I declared as our transports descended into the planet. The crafts was rocking like hell when we faced atmospheric friction. But they held well.
The airlock was barely open when I jumped out and scanned the perimeter for any enemies. My Reapers covered us. We were 6 men watching the descend of the transports, when the arillery started.
The Lynx squad, 45 men clad in heavy blue marine armour, crawled from the airlock of the transport. Me and the Reapers --- Jared who was the reckless guy, James who found jests in everything, Dave who always got your back, Jensen who was hyperactive, and finally Randy whose eyes never left the enemy --- were not clad in that bulky marine armour. We liked mobility. As most of the weaponary these days was particle, I had an inner vest woven out of Dwarg Armour Fibres for us. It didn't actually reflect the shots like its heavy counterpart did, but it didn't give us recoil either. The standard marine armour was still more geared towards Blast Damage, so it had a Reactive Fibre layer in it. It gave recoil whenever it got hit. But it held against grenades, fragments and explosions. We could simply avoid em. So we were clad in our custom favourite black gear. Everyone besides me was not wearing a mask. They didn't like it. I did. My face was totally covered. And I had my goggles on too. They had built-in display that linked me to the Reapers.
I shouted at the Lynx Squad to hurry as artillery landed inches away from the crafts. Mine I had already sent away. The land had much dryness and sand was there too. I had commanded our transports to land in deeper sand, to mitigate artillery. And it was serving its purpose. The blast radii were reduced. And artillery wasn't known for its accuracy still. They had made smart shells, but they were too costly to deploy.
"Tychus! You ready?" I cried over my comlink.
"Hell yeah!" He roared.
Tychus had the vanguards. They had the launchers. And in a nutshell, we needed them against tanks and stuff.
"Alright team! Here's the plan! We give the Ares a quick thrashing, while Tychus arrives with his toys. Then we cover him while he clears the cargo." I instructed the Reapers and the captains of Lynx Squad. Then I turned personally to them.
"Okay men, we have very little time. The main Ares forces have already mobilized towards us and we'll be taking contact within seconds! We gotta clear the place for Tychus and his men! Marines! Oorah!" I spoke in the tone they understood. But I believe my "oorah" sounded strange. I was not accoustomed to say that word.
The heavy marines made an ample target. The Ares MGs (and SMGs as we got nearer) began to pour down upon us. The MGs were firing laser shots in quick succession. One of the Lynx was instantly killed, while we hid in the sand. The wind blowing was of gale force, and the sand was everywhere - accuracy was reduced. That put both sides in disadvantage.
"Contact!!! Fire! Fire! Fire!" I yelled to my squad.
They drew their C14 Gauss rifles and began to return fire.
My infrareds told me that the Ares had opened the compound gates and were charging at us.
"Alright Reapers! Harvest time!"
I loved when my enemis travelled back to back. My snipes went through many at the same time.
When the Ares vanguards began to arrive, Jared as always took the risk. He rushed upon them like a ghost and filled them all with microbombs.
The sand blew red and entrails rained down around us as he came back. We were free of missiles for now.
"You didn't tell me off this time, sir" he laughed at me.
"As if you would have listened" I laughed back.
James had found the rain of entrails too funny. He had stopped firing to laugh at an Ares trooper who got some full in the face.
"We may survive if the artillery fired entrails too. But thats not the case!" Randy reminded me. He was not the least put out with insides raining around him.
I took out 5 Ares in one shot, while Dave took care of the stragglers. He was donning a S5 Nightshade rifle.
"Mike! We're getting pounded! Take out those artillery positions!" I yelled over the com.
"Copy that Cal! I'm coming in hot with Nukes! Keep your heads low."
A large Britannia swooped in and unleashed a salvo of XM900s which caused three large mushroom clouds in the distance. The artillery rounds stopped instantly but the compound's turrets kept up their attack.
But they weren't focussed that much in us. A missile blowing one of the turrets off meant that Tychus had breached the gate to our left.
"Advance!" I cried.
The heavy suits emerged from the sand. Some were knee deep in it.
Blood and sand were sticking to the captain who reported 20 casualties.
Almost half my team.
I signed and signalled the advance.
*************************
I and the Reapers were safe from the turrets, with our backs pressed to the walls of the compound, by the time Lynx squad got to us. 3 men had died in the advance. Now we were safe, but pinned down against the wall. We couldn't venture forth without engaging with the turrets. I was waiting for Tychus to get over with them asap. It was like Tychus was listening.
"Damn it! We need to take out those god damn turrets!" Tychus yelled on the radio. He wasn't as safely pinned down as we were. And he was having the worst of it.
"Belay that order! Do not engage the complex with space weapons, we cannot risk the lives of those scientists!" Decker thundered back from the ship. That asshole, I thought.
"Sir? We're getting killed here. We cannot breach the complex, we need air support now!" I yelled, some of my anger showing in my voice.
"That's your challenge Major!" Decker yelled at Tychus. "Shut up and get those scientists!" He finished at me.
"Hey Tychus and Calvin, listen up. I've got those turrets in sight, I'm coming in with my Katana. The light will blind your asses so just hunker down for a few seconds!" Michael declared- seemingly ignoring Decker's orders. I was glad of it, and curious how Decker would react.
"Major Anderson you are instructed to desist from your current course of action!" Decker screamed but it was too late. Five Brits flew over the compound and pounded it with their Katana Star-cannons resulting in not just the destruction of the defense turrets but also of some nearby buildings. Oops.
"War-wolf 1 you are hereby charged with dereliction of duty! You'll get a court marshal for this Anderson and I don't give a damn @#$! if your daddy hangs me for it!" Decker thundered furiously. His desperate tone was like melody to me.
I heard men rejoice around me. Jensen was the most happy person. He was getting feverish sitting in one place for long.
I thought of thanking Mike for it.
"Hey Mikey, thanks for taking it. We'll go down together, brother!" I thanked Mike as my team ripped open the compound gates, Jensen in the lead, and pushed through.
"You saved our asses brother. I'll buy you a drink!" exclaimed Tychus.
"No worries boys, we'll sort it out if we make back alive. I'm engaged with Sandstorms right now. Call me if you need me. Good luck!" Mike responded.
"Good luck to you too!" I responded.
But Mike would not be able to help me in there.
The Marines were having the worst of it in there. The place was crawling with ranks upon ranks of Ares. We had moved around like ghosts and were grinding at their flanks, while they focussed on the unhappy marines. But amidst the chaos, we made quick work of them, with just 15 losses of mine.
"Okay Taylor, my team is going in. Keep us covered!" Tychus exclaimed and the remainder of his men charged into the large five story tower.
I ordered my team to picket all the openings and garrison us inside the compound.
"Sir!" Randy shouted "Hostiles are swarming around us!"
I climbed up to his gunpoint. He was indeed right. The main Ares Army had now gathered outside the compound. And then the fighting began again. This time, it wasn't in our favour. Thousands of Ares soldiers and tanks descended from mountains and besieged the compound from all sides. We were now facing the seasoned Ares squads. I ordered my marines to take positions around the perimeter. We were trying to defend it as best we can, but were struggling keep them out.
I needed assistance.
"Hey Slicer! I sure could use those guns right now."
"Negative Wolf, the XM900 will level the place."
"I mean the batteries!"
"We're coming in with the Katanas, standby."
"Aright, cause I'm pretty much surrounded over here- you know what I mean?"
"War-wolf flight inbound. Commencing gun run!"
The Britannias came in again to pound the battlefield but the Ares were prepared this time. They fired hundreds of lasers and tactical aerial nukes at the approaching squadron.
"Look out!!!" Mike yelled as two of his Britannias exploded and came crashing down to the ground. One of them grazed our complex, and the concrete crushed two marines right there. The pilots ejected right into the Ares army and were shot dead instantly.
"Damn it!! I have men down!"
The remaining Britannias still managed to unleash their Katana and destroyed many tanks.
Not much a difference, I thought. The tanks were not grinding at us with those brains inside. It was the men.
"Attention everyone. This is War-hammer Team Alpha. We have secured the scientists, I say again, the packages are secure." Tychus announced.
"Bout time!" James laughed.
"Understood, Alpha we're sending in shuttles to pick you guys up from the roof. Bravo, we need you to suppress the Ares anti-air while Alpha is in egress." The ship responded.
"We'll try our best Nest but we're surrounded and we won't be able to hold on for much longer." I replied. I ordered the remains of the vanguard to do as the heard.
"Roger that Bravo, we're dispatching additional shuttles."
*************************
I spared a couple of seconds to dart my eyes off the scope of my sniper. Three Aurochs were slowly descending to our position.
Then, all of a sudden, a stream of ion shots came out of the sky, destroying two of them before they stopped. An Ares Lightning Turret. But the Demios was gone. Either another had entered the fight or...
"What the hell!!!" I heard tens of voices yell into the com.
"Everyone this is Warlock! There's an Ares Phobos Dreadnought in the system! It was hiding behind a plasma cloud! Dragon is down and we're...." He never finished. The Ares were notorious of having an ace up their sleeve. And this time, they had four.
"Warlock!! Come in Shane! James! Answer me god damn it!" Mike yelled.
"Holy @#$!! Attention all units there's an Ares Phobos in the battlefield we need to evac now!" Tychus yelled.
The transport zoomed over us and began to hover upon the centremost complex. One wasn't enough.
"We cannot take any more passengers. We're punching out!" the transport pilot exclaimed, confirming my fear, and began to fly away.
"War-wolf we need your squadron to engage the Phobos and distract it while the shuttle carrying the scientists egresses the planet! Move it Major now!" Decker screamed on the radio. I was somewhat happy to hear him so terrified.
"What? What about Wolf? His team will be overrun within minutes!" Mike screamed in horror.
"Follow the God damn orders Major! Tychus is on board that shuttle with the scientists! Engage that Phobos now! We're sending additional support vessels for Taylor!" Decker screamed.
Tychus gave a look over me and got on the transport.
Two more marines were down by now. My team was going towards chaos. I decided to act on their behalf.
"Wait! Mike! We'll be dead in minutes! Can you try and assist? Please Mike!" I shouted over the com.
"I...I'm sorry Wolf, I've got to engage that Phobos or everyone dies. They're sending another shuttle, just make sure you get on it. " Mike said remorsefully, trying to find words or excuses I don't know, and flew away with his squadron towards the distant Phobos.
The tanks were thankfully away, but I was now left with only ten men --- me, the Reapers, and 4 Lynx --- we were fighting like hell, and our munitions slowly running dry. Particles required batteries. And material to fuel them.
My clip was going empty. And I had just three left.
"Salvage the dead!" I ordered my team. Suddenly, we were full of ammo.
"Throw batteries, and fire at them!" I ordered.
They could serve as grenade. We parted with 45% of our batteries to serve this purpose. A soldier mishandled, and two Lynx blew to ribbons. Fools.
"This is Admiral Gorbachev of the Ares fleet. You've caused much damage to my little shipyard Decker. Hand over my brains and I'll spare your pathetic ship." The Ares Phobos broadcast on the universal frequency in a dark Russian baritone.
My eyes flew wide open. Gorbachev! Akira's father! Only if I could somehow contact him!
"Oh? There's more where it came from Gorbachev! I have many Gotha and Nemesis missiles for you!" Decker mocked back.
"Stop testing my patience Decker. I'm not known for being patient." The Phobos replied and decimated two of Mike's Britannias, barely missing his own ship.
"God damn it!" Mike screamed in horror as the two ejection pods exploded violently.
Another marine down.
Decker then came on the private Commonwealth Frequency and gave an order that showed that he was the biggest asshole alive.
"We have the scientists! We're warping out before the bugger comes in for a direct shot!" Decker declared.
"Wait no! Calvin is still down there! I'm going back after him!" Mike screamed in disgust.
"Michael we're not sacrificing five thousand people on the Terra for a few marines. We're leaving and you know well that Phobos will kill you anyway even if you try manage to get Taylor and his men out. War-wolf flight you are ordered to return to the carrier now or you shall be declared as a traitors killed in action along with Taylor." Decker ordered.
"What?!! You can't just leave him!!" Mike blasted.
Another marine down. It was just me and my Reapers. I looked at them. They were silent. I decided to make a final effort for them.
"Mike? Buddy? Are you coming? We're still five men left Mike" I didn't care for myself. Only if they could be saved "We're worth saving! Mike don't leave us!" I cried.
"I'm sorry Calvin. I cannot die a traitor or let you be remembered as one. You fought well, you are a hero. Good luck my friend." Mike cried on the radio his remaining men returned to the carrier.
Good luck? Is that what you @#$! say? You @#$! piece of garbage! You are not my friend! You are not my brother!
"We've seen enough Commodore Watson. Get us out of here!" Decker yelled.
*************************
I looked at my brothers as for the last time. I saw my own emotions reflected in them. Fear and hatred were burning in their eyes.
"I'll never forget this Decker! I'll never forget you! I will remember you! I will remember you all!!! Especially you Michael! You god damn traitor! You left me and my brothers to die! We're Marines! We're brothers god damn it! I'll make your children pay for it! I'll make sure you don't go to the grave with grey hair! You'll live with this for @#$! ever!!!" I let it all loose, screaming my lungs out to no response.
My Reapers solemnly looed at the sky, and saw the large fuzzy silhouette of the Terra disappearing into space moments afterwards.
"Kingdom's come for us, guys" I returned to my calm tone again.
And all of a sudden, a grenade fell amongst us.
"Grenade!" I yelled.
And Jared jumped on it.
*BOOM*
Jared went up with it. His ragged up body hit the ground infront of me. The others recovered. I scrambled over to him. He was still breathing.
"JARED! WHAT THE BLOODY @#$! DID YOU DO?" I shouted at him.
"Had...to..." he mumbled.
I cradled him into my lap.
Suddenly, his breathing grew laboured. He grabbed my had with his last strength.
"Send over my pay to my father!" He shouted back "Tell him I fought bravely! And send a medal with my cape, or he won't believe it!" His grip started to fade "Old fleet man, he is. Likes to drill... And my son... Let him have my armour, Cal... It has held out well for me... I hope...hope it serves him equally..." His arm was going numb "And give James a punch in the...in the ass! He had it coming for...for long..." He was smiling brightly. Then his arm fell.
"JARED!" I cried.
"Sir...." Jensen placed a hand on my shoulder.
The Ares had began their attack with renewed vigour.
I motioned them off.
I placed Jared in a corner, thrust the muzzle of his gun into the ground, and planted the his helmet on it.
"Requiescat in Pace" I muttered as I placed both his hands over his heart.
Both me and my brothers were in fury by now.
"Those Ares bastards have to PAY!" James roared. He had lost his humour.
And then, tanks began to bust into the compound.
One ran over James.
I just heard the wind being knocked out of him, and Dave firing a fortilla of missiles at them. They went boom before the dust had settled.
I ran over to James. He seemed ok.
"Don't touch me" he warned me painfully.
"WHAT?" Jensen cried.
"My guts have spilled out inside my armour, and my ass has bust open" he was losing color on his face.
Then I saw. Thighs were a crushed mess.
"Hold on!" I cried, as I returned a grenade to the Ares.
"Don't worry mate... As Jared said... I had it coming... I had it coming... I...had it...coming..." And he was gone.
I performed the same rite to James.
"Requiescat in Pace" I muttered in the end.
Now it was only me, Jensen, Wade and Randy left.
"They are coming" Randy warned.
"Let them..." Jensen shouted.
He was cut short as a bullet went straight through Randy's crosshair and planted itself inside hs skull. He fell motionlessly.
"RANDY!" we cried in unison. But he was gone.
And then I heard Jensen struggle. A blade had sliced him into half.
Spectres.
I trust my instincts when it came to spectres.
Three shots later, blood was leaking out of the air. They would be visible in a couple of seconds.
Dave helped me perform the rite.
"Requescant in Pace" we muttered together.
"Don't do that rite to me" Dave said atlast "My brother likes that S15. Pass it on to him"
"Pass it on yourself" I assured him.
"I'm scared, mate" he said desperately.
"Don't you worry" I smiled.
I then proceeded to pick Randy's gun up.
*DOOF*
I heard it. A distant sound. Like air pumpe...
"ARTILLERY!" I cried as I jumped towards Dave.
But it landed by him. It sent me flying. Away.
*BEEEEP...*
My ears were ringing with the impact.
I moved myself, still dazed to the bones.
Strength was out of my limbs. It was draining steadily.
I spotted Dave. He was lying motionless a few feet from me.
He was the last.
I didn't want to lose him.
I started a desperate crawl towards him. My legs smarted at each movement I made. But I went on.
Then I stopped. My limbs weren't moving.
I wouldn't be able to reach him.
My brothers were all gone.
And I was left to watch them go.
And suddenly, a fit of rage got me.
"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH" I cried at the top of my voice. Something against my heart was getting hotter and hotter. It was my gun, I realized.
And it was growing darker and darker...
*************************
I was standing in a void. There was no light around, but I could see my body clearly. Suddenly, I was standing in a sky. The sky. Its blueness. The white clouds drifting lazily across. It had to be Earth. I wasn't falling. There was nothing solid beneath me. Yet, I was standing.
Then my brain returned.
Was I dead? That was the first thought that raced across my mind.
The wind picked up.
There were no clouds in level with me. They were now moving above and below me, with the wind.
And I wasn't wearing my mask. I was in my standard comfort clothes. That was, my Reaper uniform without the Dward vest. And without the war item holders.
Wind started at my back. It was blowing my hair into my face.
Then, in a blink, Akira was in front of me. She was smiling broadly.
"You got here too?" she asked me.
"Yeah"
"So you were a weakling after all, weren't you?"
"..."
"I asked you to make my dream come true. And what did you do? Get laid by an artillery shell."
"..."
"You lied. You were not worthy to kill me."
"I did not kill you."
"You did"
And she vanished...
Then to my back came another voice.
"You here too?"
It was Jared.
"You promised me to sustain my family."
"..."
"You lied, didn't you?"
"..."
And he vanished.
Then came James.
"You liar!" he began to laugh "Liar! Liar! Liar!"
And he vanished too.
Randy.
"Liar... You bought us all here to die."
Vanished.
Jensen.
"You liar... Its your fault I died."
Vanished.
They were appearing around me.
Dave.
"You promised to give my gun to my brother. You promised to make it. You liar..."
Vanished.
Then it was all still.
Then they all appeared around me.
"Killer"
"Liar"
"You promised..."
"We died"
"You did it"
"Murderer"
"Liar"
"Liar"
"Fake promises"
"Destroyed our lives"
"Killed me"
"Liar"
"Traitor"
"You aren't my brot..."
"Lied all along"
They were making me mad. They were crowding around me. They were shouting louder and louder. And it hurt me.
I had fallen down to my knees, holding my head with my hand. I tried to block my ear, but their voices still came.
Then came another voice.
It was Decker.
He was laughing.
"AAARRRRRGGGGHHHH" I cried.
The thing against my chest was burning now.
The things had backed out.
They were standing in a mass infront of me.
And they were aflame.
The sky was dark fading.
They were standing, and were surrounded, by flames. Yet, they weren't burning.
My chest was about to melt.
I drew it out.
My Deagle.
Suddenly, the sky changed colour. It was now a hue of red.
I pointed the gun at the things.
They erupt in a loud hollow shreik.
And then I saw it.
They weren't human.
They had no eyes or mouth. Instead of them, they had empty circular hollows.
Akira had blood leaking from a wound in the forehead.
Jared was tattered and ragged. Burns clearly visible.
James had his insides dangling out.
Randy had a chunk of his head missing.
Jensen was almost in half.
Dave had a hole in the shoulder.
And they were moving towards me, giving out those unearthy hollow shreiks.
They were slowly making their way towards me.
I was paralyzed. With fear, or surprise, I do not remember.
Just that I could not move.
They were getting nearer and nearer.
And then...the gun...it started whispering to me...
It wanted me to shoot.
It urged me to shoot.
I told it I couldn't move.
And it started getting hotter. The heat spread from my arms to all over my body. I could move again.
"They aren't human. They aren't those who I remember. They are the evils. They are demons." I cried to myself.
And I started shooting.
Each shot consumed an entity as if I fired a burning cinder on a piece of paper.
After a while, there was only ash.
The gun whispered again. Its job was done. I put it back.
Then the wind began to blow, taking the ash with it.
And then. I saw light. It was blinking at me.
I began to fall.
I did not care.
There was a vast meadow down there, rushing at me with blinding speed.
Decker was laughing overhead.
I just remember one thing afterwards.
*THUMP*
*************************
Next thing I knew, I had woken up. Decker's laughter still echoed distantly in my ears. My rage came.
"I'll kill you Decker! Raaah! I'll kill you! I'll make you pay!" I began to shout.
"Shhh... Calm down my boy. You've been through a lot young comrade. The honor of the Ares is known throughout the galaxy you know. We are not like your Commonwealth traitors who left you here to rot." some man infront of me was saying "Get him up! Get him out of the mess and into the ship!" He ordered.
"We will help you get that revenge my boy.We will help you!" He assured me.
"Yes! Yes! I will get my revenge! I will make Anderson, Decker and the baby Anderson pay for their insolence! For their betrayal! Aaahhhh!!!!!!!!"
I began scream as the massive Phobos Dreadnought hovered over the planet.
The man observed my Reapers, carefully lined in a corner. Helmets dangling over the guns.
"Those your men?" he asked me.
"My...brothers" I replied, pain was slowly returning "The black ones."
"Get the black ones too" he ordered his men "We'll see that they get a proper martyrhood and their names are forever to be spoken in honor"
Then, 6 men carried me up a Polar freighter, as some others got my brothers.
I don't remember what happened next.
I had passed out.
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******CREDITS******
MikeAngora, for pushing my ass on.
My dear readers, who found my ramblings interesting. Especially DigaRW!
My old mobile, for keeping up with my workload.
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You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh I realize
It's hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small
But I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow
Show me a smile then,
Don't be unhappy, can't remember
When I last saw you laughing
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there
And I'll see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow.
Can't remember, when I last saw you laugh.
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there
And I'll see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors
True colors are shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow.
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