Location: The Moon, Griffin Station
Year: Classified
"Und delete. Goodbye, Dr. Maxis," Doctor Edward Richtofen bid coldly to his employer.
"Security Override: Active," the machine before him announced.
The object, the Golden Rod, floating nearby was finished with whatever process it had just gone through, and Richtofen grabbed it greedily, caressing it with an insane grin.
"It's mine! It's finally mine!" he jeered.
Tank Dempsey furrowed his brow, only underwhelmed at what was unfolding before him. He knew what happened next. He knew his fate after Richtofen got ahold of the rod.
And as much as Dempsey wanted to stop it…
…he knew what came next would be worse.
It sucked, yeah. It was unfair, yeah. But did Treyarch care? Hell no.
They wanted a story, and he'd be damned if this wasn't a plot twist.
His comrades beside him, Takeo Masaki and Nikolai Belinski, seemed to read Dempsey's thoughts. They each nodded at each other as Richtofen cooed at the active Golden Rod, holding it like a baby.
"Quickly, mein friends! To zhe M.P.D.!" he said, marching toward the airlock and hopping down.
The others followed in suit. Once they returned to the pyramid where Samantha Maxis's body was suspended in mid-air, still clutching a raggedy teddy bear, they knew their end was approaching.
"Zhis is going to be so much fun! Finally we can confront zhis little beast. Quickly! Power up zhe machine!" Richtofen said, placing the Rod in its intended slot, right below the egg they'd been bouncing around for an hour.
Takeo, Dempsey, and Nikolai (who was sober), grimly nodded and filled up the tanks with Richtofen leading the charge.
Soon enough, the dreaded moment arrived as the machine beeped and the German retrieved the rod from the pyramid. He grinned evilly, putting his arms to his sides, palms outward, as if he was presenting himself as a God to peasants.
His world shook as he slowly began to feel himself drift out of his body.
He was so close…
But a voice stopped him dead.
It was chastising, like a parent to a child breaking a rule. But it was an all too familiar voice.
Samantha.
"Oh Edward!"
Richtofen's grin disappeared in an instant as his eyes opened in horror.
A chill went down each men's spine as her shrill voice had pierced the utter silence of space. It was in a sing-song voice, comparable to a sister calling out to her brother.
But damn if this was even close.
"Didn't your mother teach you not steal others' toys?"
Richtofen's expression turned to anger, before he was thrown back against the wall, as if a Thundergun had discharged in his direction, or an invisible giant fist had punched him in the gut.
He hit the wall with a loud thud, before angrily recovering.
Samantha, or perhaps, the M.P.D., wasn't finished, however.
A bolt of lightning emerged from the pyramid, striking Richtofen directly in the chest.
His body convulsed, his eyes and mouth being lit up like a Christmas tree, and his insides being cooked.
His body fried, and fell over onto the floor.
"Holy shit!"
"Doctor!" Takeo shouted, rushing over to the dead doctor.
He checked for a pulse. Nothing, obviously. His arteries had been fried.
There was no sign of life in the former scientist.
Knowing this, Takeo took the doctor's hand and prayed silently.
Nikolai looked on at a small horde approaching, refusing to look at the deceased German. Refusing to believe his… friend had died.
Dempsey, however, was emotionless.
He hated Richtofen.
But… emphasis on hated.
Now that the doctor was gone…. there was an emptiness. A void. Something that really couldn't be replaced.
For once, in his entire life, Dempsey appreciated Richtofen for what he did. When he helped. When he tricked. When he...
Well.
Even if his downfall had been so deserving.
Beeps and alarms blared throughout the station, interrupting all mourning and enforcing a malicious urgency.
Samantha did not announce it. She did not giggle.
She did not gloat.
Instead, she let her actions speak for her. Their fates were sealed.
It was only when the station shook that they three realized what the alarms had meant.
An anguished cry, not belonging to either of the three men, nor Samantha, echoed in the tunnels. It was distant, almost ethereal.
Everyone rushed outside to see three rockets heading full speed toward their home.
Earth.
As the rockets made contact, the Earth crumbled. It didn't break apart and deteriorate. No, it was gone from existence.
Dempsey could have laughed.
Dempsey could have cried.
Dempsey could have dropped dead.
Instead, he refused to bow.
Who was he kidding? Everyone he knew was dead. His child, his wife…..
It was pointless.
Takeo remained stoic. He swore to destroy Samantha.
All three men were silent. Whether it was for respect, or a loss of words, they didn't know. It just…. seemed wrong to talk right now.
Dempsey suddenly spun on his heel and left the group, walking to the pyramid and gazing at the demon child before him.
His eyelids were heavy. His feet had only carried him through sheer force of will.
He looked emptily around the room, and back at Samantha.
Takeo and Nikolai joined him, bearing the same empty look as they stared down the source of their misery. Dempsey halfheartedly threw his arms up, as if to gesture at the lack of activity in the space.
"Well…."
….
….
"What are you waiting for, little girl?"
….
There seemed to be no answer. Though, Dempsey was able to make out the slightest change of expression in the frozen girl's face. It was puzzling.
It was no look of empathy.
No look of satisfaction.
No look of boredom.
It was…. a look of regret.
But, as with all psychopaths, it quickly faded.
The familiar scream of zombies rang out as the three heroes turned around to face them.
Dempsey cast one last look at Richtofen's body, then at Samantha. He sighed through his nose and readied his weapon, turning his body back toward the enemy as he raised his arm and pulled the trigger.
"You got what you wanted, little girl. Are you happy?"