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Rating Advisory: This story will be posted with a rating of M, for Language, Violence- Blood and Gore, and Sexual Content. Please adhere to the rules of this site, this is for mature audiences only (18+ years or older).
Date: 05-01-2023 / Time: 1530 Hrs. / Location: Somewhere in the Mojave
Today was just not my day. My name is Alex Truman, I am a retired Marine, currently a recreational shooter. I had a mentor who mastered modern CQC or Close Quarters Combat, who taught me the same combat techniques she had learned when she was in the military. My mentor had a cause that she never disclosed to me or anyone for two reasons. She never wanted to disclose anything from her cause, and the second, she never will anymore due to a untimely death. Her cause of death was from intense radiation exposure on a mission. In a desperate measure when terrorists acquired a nuclear ICBM, the U.S. decided to send in my mentor to infiltrate a terrorist compound and destroy the nuke at any and all costs. While in the terrorist stronghold, she was caught in possession of the nuclear warhead and she had no choice but to crack the casing of the warhead, leaking radiation and killing the terrorists, as well as herself. I miss her and the wisdom she shared with me. It has been seven years since her passing.
Currently, I'm at my personal firing range on my 20 acre property out in the Mojave. At the age of 26, I am a former Marine who is currently re-adjusting to society, it's hard but I feel alright. Since I am a loner, I am not very social, and won't talk unless it is necessary. The only place I really talk at is a local market when I need to get food, water and basic essentials. Other than that, most people think I'm mute.
I was currently using my M4A1 rifle to hit targets at 200 meters. Since my time in the military, I learned how to modify most American-made firearms. My M4A1 is a 5.56x45mm rifle that uses lightweight materials, such as carbon fiber rails and magazines. The attachments I have for it are the newly developed 3D Holographic sights, laser sights, and a M203 grenade launcher under-mount. I also had several weapons with me, like my Mk. 48 7.62x51mm LMG, KSG 12 Gauge Shotgun, an M82A1 .50BMG Sniper Rifle using Ultra-light materials effectively reducing the weight from 60 lbs. to 25 lbs., a P90 5.7x28mm SMG, two .50AE Desert Eagles, and a experimental 20 Gauge 5 shot revolver I call 'The Peace-breaker'. These weapons can all be carried by using a special set of powered armor resembling what EOD specialists used for disarming bombs two decades ago. The armor was updated in 2020 using motorized joints and is powered by an internal battery that utilizes the body's natural electrical impulses to power the suit. My set of Modified Bomb Armor, or MBA, is the most advanced of the MBA variants, featuring a TAC (Tactical Assessment Computer) which allows for a localized detection of heat signatures, using my MBA's helmet, allowing me to see targets, in varying conditions, within a 20 meter radius within line of sight.
Time Lapse - Date: 05-16-2023 / Time: 1930 Hrs. / Location: Home -SPECIFIC LOCATION REDACTED-
Over the course of a few weeks, I started to have strange voices in my sleep. They would not get any louder than whispers, which I thought was a combination of the heat and moderate sleep deprivation, maybe even some mild PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). The voices would come when I am exhausted over the past three days. When I would use my personal underground firing range, I noticed I had deteriorating accuracy due to headaches caused by sleep deprivation. As the days passed, when I would be trying to fall asleep, the voices started to become clearer to the point that I could tell if it was feminine or masculine, that were in some sort of discussion. I could pick up on some conversations about something, a place called Avalar and about a prophecy that included an ape-like being. With the clearer voices, I started to hear the voices when I was awake and felt like I was about to black out. When I was at the range earlier, the headaches were not as bad, but posed a serious threat when I was firing my M4A1 on full auto and had extreme spread, which was when I stopped and unloaded my weapon and decided it was enough of the day. After placing my weapons in my weapon safe, I looked at the alarm clock on my dresser by my bed, reading 2130 hrs. and decided to get some rest. I changed into a pair of shorts and a tank-top, and climbed into bed, almost falling asleep immediately.
Time Lapse - Date: 05-17-2023 / Time: 0630 Hrs. / Location: Home
After a late night's rest, I awoke somehow refreshed, more so than the past few days. The first thing I noticed was that the voices had stopped. My first thought was that something was amiss, because the voices had bugged me for several days, then I thought it was just having finally gotten enough sleep. Deciding to take a look in the mirror above my dresser, I got a good look of myself, I was pale skinned, had short black hair, was wearing an eye-patch over my right eye with a diagonal scar running from the top-right of my face, across the bridge of my nose and over part of the lip, ending at my lower left jaw, and had a slightly muscular physique. I pushed the thoughts aside as I got dressed in a standard white t-shirt, black BDU (Battle Dress Uniform) pants, black military boots, and a sentimental black doo-rag I wear since my mentor's passing, as well as my old dog tags from when I served in the Marines. When I finished getting dressed, I went to the kitchen and had some breakfast, consisting of a granola bar and a cup of coffee. After finishing the bar and coffee, I decided to go check my mail at the Post Office, quickly placing my mug in the sink, and started the 20 minute walk to town.
When I collected my mail, I decided to pick up some groceries while I was in town. Heading to the local market, I went to a vendor that had fresh produce and decided to get some lettuce, carrots, and onions for a spiced salad. The vendor owner tallied the price of the produce and I paid. Heading over to the meat vendor, I picked up some flank steak to add to the salad, paid and headed home.
Arriving back home, I went inside going directly to kitchen to put the food in the refrigerator for later. After putting away the food, I decided to get my MBA suit and do some live-fire training. When I donned the last piece of my armor, being the helmet, my suit weighed about 210 lbs. with the additional steel armor plates added to resist small arms fire. I used my wrist-mounted TAC to activate the suit's power supply and felt the weight of the suit lighten to a comfy 40 lbs. I grabbed my Mk. 48 and attached it my back to the right on one of several magnetic plates, securing it into place. My KSG was put on my back to the left, M82A1 ULW in between the KSG and Mk. 48. Next was the P90 on my side under the left arm, then my two Desert Eagles on thigh holsters, the 20 Gauge 'Peace-breaker' on a rear hip holster, and lastly my M4A1 in hand. I gathered all the necessary ammo and placed it all on various positions on my armor. When I was fully loaded, my total weight would be a staggering 400 lbs., but I felt great with the armor assisted feeling of 120 lbs.
When I finished checking my armor over, I headed for the front door. When I opened the front door, I was greeted with some unwelcome company. Five men in black trench coats with a red palm print on their left sleeve, wearing black bandanas and were pointing various weapons at me. I immediately recognized the men as part of a murderous group calling themselves the Mojave Murderers or the MJMs for short. They were very dangerous criminals that would spread the blood of their victims on a nearby surface in the form of a spread-open hand. They had a kill order on me ever since I helped the state police capture the leader of the MJM. I immediately opened fire with my M4A1 on one of the men who was armed with an AK47, immediately killing him with two bullets to the chest and one to the head. As soon as the first guy was KIA, I headed to cover behind a small boulder, the other 4 men doing so as well. I aimed my rifle over the rock and targeted another man armed with a PKM and hit him with one shot to the head. I aimed to the left and targeted one armed with a P90 and shot him in the left shoulder, forcing him back into cover. One of the MJM started to blind fire with a MP7, peppering the boulder and the ground near me. I mentally sighed and peeked around the left side of the boulder and shot him in the head, sending a splatter of blood and grey-matter on a nearby boulder behind him.
I counted 3 down, leaving two left, one being injured. I checked around myself and saw one of the two bastards trying to sneak up on me. I quickly charged him at 6 feet between us and rammed him with my shoulder into the side of my house. While he was down, I aimed my rifle at his heart and shot 3 times, effectively ending his life. When I started to search for the last guy, I couldn't find him and decided to use my TAC's thermal feed in my helmet to track the one I wounded. As my HUD in my helmet changed from visible light to the thermal spectrum, I saw a warm blood trail on the sand, weaving between the boulders, following the trail quickly with my eyes, I soon found out he was sneaking up on me as well and did so effectively. When I turned around, he already jammed his 6 inch knife in between the steel plates of my armor and into my stomach, dropping my M4A1 onto the sand. I grunted in pain and quickly kicked the bastard back, to put some distance between us. I gripped the knife in my abdomen and yanked it out with a shout of agony and threw it into the man's skull, right between the eyes.
With the last man down, I dropped to my knees, blood flowing out of the wound in my stomach. I grabbed hold of the wound and applied pressure, even though knowing it would do no good to stop the bleeding, and crawled over to my M4A1 and picked it up, then dragged myself over to a nearby boulder. When I reached the rock, I flipped myself over and leaned my back against it. I looked down and saw my blood pooling on my lap and over the sand. I started to feel like I was going to black out and thought, 'Well, this sucks...' As my blood continued to flow, I was getting lightheaded and darkness was creeping into my vision. Within seconds, I had almost completely bled out and went limp, barely noticing my senses deteriorating as I passed out. I barely even felt the warmth from underneath me as I was dying...