Chapter 1: The First Drop
Cabot spoke clearly to his team. "Team, this has gone on for too long, and now we need to end it. The whole colony is evacuating. The last transport leaves in 5 days, anyone we get to that ship is a win. Our first target is a Stage 1 Monster. It's been spotted at the Aviary. I'm sending Maggie, Val, Hank and Markov. You drop in 5. The rest of you..." The team looked uncertainly at Cabot. "I dunno, do whatever." The others were dismissed while Maggie, Val, Hank and Markov were briefed. "I called you hear for a briefing."
"Get on with it, boss man." Hank said impatiently while chewing a cigar.
"Actually, there's not a whole lot to brief. Go kill the Monster before it kills Colonists."
"Alrighty then, let's get goin'." Hank said standing up. "Bucket, you better stay on comms. Unlike last time."
"Last time was a practice; I was demonstrating my lack of need for practice." A mechanical voice sounded from around the room in reply.
"Team." Cabot said attracting their attention. "It's drop time."
"Valerie, you look worried. You have nothing to fear while I stand at your side." Markov, the Assault, said as he pulled his secondary gun off the wall. Aleksey Markov wore a SALGE welding suit. His primary weapon was a powerful gun that shot out chains of lightning. When an enemy was hit the electricity would chain to near-by targets. His secondary was an Assault Rifle and he had a set of proximity mines that released an electrical explosion. Markov, like all Assaults was equipped with his Personal Shield. Val, the Medic, had a bolt-action, Armor Piercing Sniper Rifle. She also had a rapid-healing 'Med Gun' and a Tranquilizer Rifle. All Medics had Healing Burst. Val sighed before talking.
"I just… We don't know what we're doing. We were told to kill a Monster. How? How do we get back? What happens if we die? What are we even fighting?" A cacophonous roar shook the ship. Val jumped and almost dropped her Sniper Rifle as she clipped it to her suit for easier carrying. Hank, the Support, strapped his Shield Projector to his back. He took his cigar out of his mouth and exhaled.
"My guess is we're gonna' kill that." He said simply. There were a few moments of silence while Maggie, the Trapper, slotted her Machine Pistol.
"Or that is gonna' kill us."
"Why ya gotta be so pessimistic, Mags?" Hank asked.
"'Mags'? Is 'Maggie' not short enough for your lazy ass, Hank?" Maggie asked with playful anger.
"Is 'Henry' not short enough for your lazy ass, Mags?" Hank asked in return. Maggie chuckled and there was silence in the ship. "Don't, er… Don't ever call me, 'Henry' by the way." The drop ship's hatch opened and the Hunters dropped down. Support first, then Medic, Trapper and finally Assault. Despite having jumped before Markov, Daisy slowly floated down with her parachute in the air behind him. Daisy was Maggie's pet Trapjaw. She had been trained to sniff out the Monster.
"Alright, Trapper in front, Assault behind, Medic at the back and Support just before. Everyone understand?" Maggie asked.
"Just about." Val said struggling to work out where she came in the group. The team walked silently looking for the Monster. Daisy walked happily after the Monster's scent. "Wait, look. See it there? It's fighting something."
"How'd you know it's the Monster?" Hank asked sceptically.
"I don't, but it's big and scary, and I want it dead."
"Fair 'nuff." Hank replied.
"A Tyrant, it's fighting a Tyrant." Maggie said.
"Big Crocodile mofo. No doubt it'll stay for a snack after all that trouble, let's set up near-by." Hank suggested.
The team stealthily crept into bushes and trees beside the Goliath. Val and Markov were on one side of it in the bushes, while Maggie, Hank and Daisy hid opposite them. Maggie set up some Harpoon traps while Hank readied the Shield Projector. Val fired a Tranquilizer dart into the Monster. It growled and turned to face Val and Markov sleepily. It breathed out a plume of fire. Markov used his Personal Shield while Hank used his Shield Projector on Val. They were safe from the fire.
"Shield's out!" Yelled Hank a few seconds after as the Monster leapt into the air. It raised its fist above Val ready to slam it into the ground when 5 harpoons shot out of Maggie's hiding spot and stopped the Monster getting the angle and height it needed. It slammed into the ground but all Hunters were out of range. Arcs of lightning hit the Goliath hard. It smacked Markov sending him into a tree.
"Ack! I am down!" Markov shouted. The beast stood over him and pulled a large rock out of the ground.
"Hope I've got enough juice for this." Hank pulled out a pair of binoculars, targeted the Monster and then pulled out his Shield Projector. He used it on Markov just as a barrage of highly explosive rockets landed on the Monster. "I'm running out!" Use your Shield or you're a dead man!" Markov used his Personal Shield just as Hank's Projector ran out. The barrage ended and the Monster fled. Val used her Med Gun to patch Markov up. "I hope it was worth it, Projector is recharging and the Orbital Striker is on the other side of the planet now."
"Why did it run? It could have killed Markov." Val asked.
"Did you see the glow on its skin?" Maggie asked.
"Only at the start." Val said.
"Exactly! The Monster has armour. Its armour can grow back, but when its armour is gone the beast starts to feel real pain. The beast's armour will regrow over time, and by feeding it can get enough energy to speed up the process. They usually flee when their armour gets shot up." A roar, much louder than the one they heard on the ship, sounded through the Aviary scaring the birds. "Looks like he just got bigger. Daisy, lead on."
The Hunters followed Daisy for an hour with no further sign of the Monster. "What is that!?" Valerie asked. She pointed to an inky-looking, growing blob. Maggie looked at where Val pointed.
"That's the Monster!" Maggie exclaimed.
"What?" Val asked in disbelief.
"No time to explain, kill it! Val, get up on that column of rock. Hank, drop a Strike. Markov, put mines here." Maggie set traps just behind Markov's mines. Hank, make yourself scarce, Markov stand your ground." Another barrage of rockets pounded the evolving Monster. The black ooze receded to reveal a Monster that was twice as big as when they had first seen it. The Monster looked at Markov who was shooting it with his Assault Rifle. It pulled a rock out of the ground and hurled it at Val. Hank got his Shield Projector on her just in time. Hank joined Markov and shot at the Goliath with his, laser gun. All the while Maggie was filling the Monster with bullets. The Monster leaped at Hank and Markov who stood behind the pile of Mines. The Monster would have cleared the Mines if not for Maggie's Harpoons. They stopped the Monster mid-air and it dropped onto the Mines which destroyed the rest of the Monster's armour. The Monster picked up Markov, breathed fire on him at close range and then threw him into a tree. Markov fell to the ground and Val moved into help. The Monster hurled rock at Markov and Val. The Rock crippled Val and finished Markov off. The Monster breathed a plume of fire over Val killing her as well.
"Shit! Maggie, run. I'll hold it off." Hank yelled at her. Maggie ran into the forest followed by Daisy. Hank flew around the Monster for as long as he could. He used the Support's trademark item; the Cloaking Device. "That's right, chase her down you fucker…" The Monster looked about for Hank. It turned to where Maggie left from. It leaped forward and hit a tree which caused it to stall for a second. Rockets fell from the sky and battered the Monster. Hank opened fire with his Laser Cutter. The Monster threw a rock at him which he dodged. It breathed fire at him. He deactivated his jetpack making him drop and reactivated it near the ground. He flew under the Monster's legs and continued attacking. The Monster turned sharply and smacked Hank into a pillar of rock. The Monster leaped at him but got caught by Harpoon traps. He then heard bullets ring out. "Maggie! You came back!" Hank exclaimed.
"Of course I did." She said simply. While the Monster was caught in a new set of traps Maggie rushed over to Hank and picked him up.
"You're an idiot, but I love you for it." Hank said as he flew into the air. The Monster tried to flee to regain armour but Maggie took charge and threw out the Mobile Arena, the item known to all Trappers. A large, blue field came down from the sky to trap the Monster and Hunters together in a large dome. "Maggie, your dome's gonna get us killed!" The Monster jumped back and smashed the ground at Hank's feet. "Maggie run! And don't come back this time!" Maggie brought down the arena. The Monster tore into Hank as Maggie and Daisy ran away. Maggie placed traps as she ran in order to slow the Monster.
Maggie ran for 5 minutes. Her Adrenaline kept her going. Every few seconds the Monster roared as another Harpoon struck it. A well-aimed Rock Throw hit Maggie sending her flying forwards. She hit a rock wall. Daisy stopped to pick Maggie up. "No, Ruva." Maggie said weekly. "Run away, leave me." Daisy turned around and faced the Monster standing defensively over Maggie. Daisy howled and roared at the Monster and the Monster roared back. Every few seconds it stomped its foot. The Monster pulled a rock out of the ground and threw it above Maggie showering all 3 of them in bits of gravel. It was trying to scare Daisy off. After back and forth howling the Monster turned around. It looked back over its left shoulder with disdain. It took a step away from them then as fast as lightning it turned around and swung its arm at Daisy. Daisy was sent flying 20 metres away. "Daisy! NO!" Maggie screamed. A shower of high-payload missiles landed behind the Monster. A river of electricity zapped the Monster. The Monster hit Markov back as he used his Shield. He threw down some Mines before re-engaging the Monster. The Monster leaped to death by electrocution.
"Get up, Maggie." Hank lifted Maggie up.
"But… Daisy!" Maggie said exasperated.
"Don't worry, Val's got her." Hank said.
"But, you're dead. All three of you are dead. I watched you die." Maggie said starting to get scared.
"We were. Bucket teleported us back to the ship, apparently he can do that now, and the old man with the cross brought us back to life, spooky fucker. Bucket brought the ship around and dropped us back down. And now here we are. Now, c'mon. Cabot's waiting." Daisy leaped through the trees and ran up to Maggie. Maggie pet Daisy before Val insisted they all got back to Laurie-Anne.
"Goliath is dead." Markov announced upon re-entering the Laurie-Anne.
"Well done, team. Maggie, I heard what happened. If you need something to calm you Abe might have some beer that's still in date… maybe… probably not."
"Hey!" Abe shouted. "How about you try to find some healthy food on this Planet, motherfucker."
"No thank you, Abe. Bucket has just about finished making dinner. Roast Dune Beetle and fried Batray.
"So how'd it go?" Abe asked Val smiling.
"I'm not interesting in dating you, pervert." Val said.
"Most offensive way I've heard someone say, 'I need a Maxi Pad.'" Abe said smirking. Val sighed and went to get her dinner. James Parnell spoke to Maggie.
"Yo, Maggie. What's up? I can tell you aren't felling OK." Parnell said.
"I'm just a little shaken. I got saved by my teammates 15 minutes after I saw them die." Maggie said.
"Damn, sounds rough. Did Daisy make it out OK?" Parnell asked with sincerity.
"Yeah, she's fine." Maggie said, not feeling much like talking.
"Good, good. Glad to hear it. Well, I'm gonna leave you to your food, I sure as hell wouldn't want someone to bother me eating." James got up to leave.
"No, actually. If you wouldn't mind staying I'd like the company."
"No, problem. Let me just grab a bottle of something from Abe real quick." Parnell returned with 2 glasses and a large bottle of strong beer.
"No, I don't want a drink thanks." Maggie said dismissively.
"No, but you need one." James said as he filled both glasses.
"You're right about that." Maggie said changing her mind as she downed the contents of the glass in 1 gulp. James poured another 1 for Maggie to do the same.
"Damn, slow down Maggie."
Hyde was playing cards with Bucket, Griffin and Abe. "Oh, for fuck sakes!"
"Problem Hyde?" Cabot, who happened to be passing, asked.
"No sir, fucking robot stealing my Keys is all." The group around the table laughed. "I'm going to talk to the cool Trapper. And Cabot! No more fucking robots!" Hyde stormed out and went to find Maggie.
"Just to think I stopped him getting eaten alive by one of those anus plants yesterday." Bucket said regretfully. The group laughed.
"Think I'm going to call it a night." Abe said. "Got more shitty beer to scrounge up in the morning. Griffin, before I go did you hear about the new Trapper?"
"What? No I did not." Griffin said.
"It's not just a new Trapper, there is some other dude joining too. But I forget what he is. The new guy used to be a survey agent, stalked a wounded Monster for weeks. Isn't that right, Bucket?"
"Hmm." Bucket said without moving.
"How does the robot know?" Griffin asked.
"I am your communication, Griffin. I was the first to know." Bucket replied concentrating on his cards.
"2 new people… Crikey." Griffin said hoping they hadn't seen any of his movies.
"Well, maybe four, uh, 3 and a half, if they don't get eaten first." Bucket said still focusing on the cards, in complete stillness.
"How much beer am I going to need to get?" Abe asked faking annoyance.
"I doubt these new misfits will drink much." Bucket answered in return.
"Why not?" Abe hoped Bucket wasn't joking.
"You shall see." Bucket said as he put his cards down on the table. "Fold, I'm off to oil myself. I was trying to move that whole time… That's a joke, by the way." He added after Griffin and Abe gave him strange looks. Bucket left the room and Abe followed him out. After the both left they went their separate ways.
"Well, if Abe's planning to get more shit to drink, it'd be the least I could do to make some room for the new stock." Griffin said to himself as he went to join Maggie and Parnell. He found that Hyde was there with them.
"Oh, yay. It's Mr Monster Killer 3000." Hyde said sarcastically, obviously still upset about his loss.
"Good to see you too, Hyde." Griffin said back, also sarcastically.
"Hey, Griffin." Maggie said.
"Good work out their today. Because of you and your heroics there are about 500 people that should be dead but aren't." Griffin said.
"Thanks, Griffin. That means a lot. But I couldn't have done it without Ruva. She bought me valuable seconds that meant the rest of the team arrived back just in time for us to finish off the Monster." Maggie had calmed down and come to terms with her team's revival. Val sat down around the same table as Maggie, Parnell, Hyde and Griffin.
"Mind if I sit here?" She asked as she sat down.
"Yes, I fucking do. You being here will attract that other Trapping wanker." Hyde said with an irritated look on his face.
"Ah, you're friendly." Val said as she poured herself a drink.
"You expect a face-meltin' ex-ChemTrooper, massive fucking insect-man killer and Monster Hunter to be friendly? Your mistake." Hyde said.
"Lazarus is friendly." Val said.
"Can't argue wiv' 'at, but he ain't a face-melter or an ex-ChemTrooper. Nice, lad though." Hyde said.
"You seem found of Lazarus." Parnell said joining the conversation again.
"And why shouldn't I be? He's a fuckin' good trooper, he is." Hyde said. He didn't like people insulting, question or calling Lazarus 'creepy', or 'weird' or 'a freak'.
"Hyde has a soft spot for Lazarus because they both fought against the Basilisk Soldiers in the Mutagen Wars." Val said teasing Hyde.
"I ain't got no soft spots for no one, and just you remember that. Nah, I just think he's good lad. I'm glad to 'ave him at me back, is all." As much as he denied it, Val was right, Hyde had a soft spot for Lazarus.
"Right, I'm off to rest me napper. Hope you're feelin' better now Maggie. Oi, Old-Timer. It's you and me in the field tomorrow, make sure you stretch and get a good sleep. Wouldn't be wantin' your bones to rust now, would we?" With that last jab at Griffin, Hyde left and went to his bed. After a few beers Griffin and Parnell left the girls to drink. It wasn't long after that until Maggie and Val went to their beds too. An hour after that the ship was silent.
Hours went by as the Laurie-Anne drifted around the vacuous void that was known to humans as 'Space'. Hundreds upon thousands of miles below the Laurie-Anne a roar spread out across the Refuelling Tower. The workers ran into the wild near-by. The Monster was hunting down the survivors. This is when the Laurie-Anne was contacted.
Thanks for reading! Please note that my Evolve chapters will be shorter than chapters of my other stories. Tier 5 and Tier 4 will likely make an appearance. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!